Sowing seeds of preservation

​

Sowing seeds of preservation The New Indian Express

KOCHI: These days, plants indigenous to Kerala — medicinal, fruit-bearing or homestead varieties — are not very easy to find, especially if you live in the city. Unsustainable extraction from the wild and unscientific cultivation methods have endangered many tree varieties across the country. Adoor-native Santhosh G, popularly known as Sila Santhosh, and his nephew Manulal S are now in the process of saving such varieties.

Manulal, 26, is now going on an all-India expedition to distribute such rare seeds. For the last 14 years, Sila has been growing local plant species like kulamaavu, kaanjiram, kadukka, papaya, aanjili, plantains, turmeric, and others on 17 cents of land surrounding his house. Apart from 1,300 varieties of medicinal plants and 140 seeds, his residence, also called as Sila Museum, accommodates over 2,500 antique collections, including currencies, newspapers, weapons, and others.

On-road adventure
Manulal travelled across south India last year. Now, he is excited to travel around on his Recumbent model bicycle. “Though I used to cycle before, riding a bike became an integral part of my life during the lockdown. Those were the times when Kerala saw a surge in bicycle riders. Though many people abandoned their cycles when things got back to normal, I didn’t,” says the IT graduate.

The Recumbent model, which is more prominent in the US and Germany, has pedals in the front. “I haven’t seen this anywhere in India,” says Manulal. Santhosh got the cycle modelled in Ernakulam with the help of his friend Venu. “The cycle is sure to turn heads when I ride it. This would fetch more attention for our green cause,” says Santhosh.

The self-designed vehicle has a small front tyre and a back tyre of size 26. “I cycled once from Ernakulam to Adoor. It is normal to wonder if it would be comfortable. Even I was apprehensive at first. But I found it to be more comfortable than normal cycles,” says Manulal.

Continue reading...