Those close to Maram Thangasamy say that over 30 years of dedicated effort he must have planted more than six lakh saplings in different parts of the country.
TALK less and plant more trees is the advice Maram Thangasamy gives those who meet him. When anyone calls him over the telephone, instead of saying hello he says vanakkam nan maram pesuren, which means I am tree talking. Such is his passion for growing trees. While driving on the Pudukottai-Tiruchi highway, one can see hundreds of huge trees spreading their green canopies on both sides of the road. This is thanks to Thangasamy. To date, those close to him say, he must have planted more than six lakh saplings in different parts of the country over 30 years of dedicated effort.
An energetic farmer from Senthankudi village in Alangudi taluk of Pudukkottai district in Tamil Nadu, Thangasamy is 75 years old physically but moves and talks like a 30-year-old.
Whatever function he participates in, he insists that a sapling be planted before its start. Whatever topic he chooses to speak on, he finishes in praise of trees. He plants trees on his farm on all important days, such as Republic Day and Independence Day or birthdays of important national leaders.
For him, trees are ATMs. Whenever he needs money, he chooses the trees that can fetch the required amount and sells them. When he cuts a tree, he plants at least two seedlings on his farm. According to him, cutting a tree is withdrawal of money from a bank and planting a seedling is re-depositing the money. He emphasises that trees have given him a constant income, fodder, leaf manure and a good micro-climate, and what is more significant, they have made him more human.
When any visitor comes to see his farm, the usual question he asks is whether they have seen God and, if not, whether they would like to. The surprised visitor finds this question amusing and nods. Thangasamy then takes them into a small room and asks them to look at the reflection in a big mirror mounted on the wall. You are God, know yourself, you are no different from nature. Everything is inside you and you are in everything, he says, laughing loudly.
Every year, in November he begins a fast for 48 days and worships trees. For him trees are gods. Without man, trees can survive. But without trees, no man can survive is a remark he often makes to visitors.
About 25 years ago, Thangasamy was a debt farmer because he followed cultivation methods that involved the use of chemicals. Extreme drought conditions and increasing interest rates forced him to sell some of his land to pay off his debts and look for a waiters job in a restaurant.
One day, at work he happened to hear a radio programme on how trees could help farmers earn money. He says that the speech changed his entire outlook on farming. On that day, he realised that agriculture, if it should not have a negative effect on farm resources, should be in harmony with nature with the integration of trees, crops and farm animals. I started by planting 100 teak trees and within a year started planting mangoes, cashew, tamarind, neem, sandal, rosewood, red sandal, amla, mahogany, etc., on my remaining farmlands, he says.
Within five years, his farm turned into a thick forest. The organic activist Dr Nammalvar named it Karpagasolai, which means the place that gives everything. At present, Thangasamy has more than 150 species of trees on 12 acres (one acre = 0.4 hectare). He owns 25 acres altogether, 12 of which are around his home. He grows different crops in rotation on the 12 acres and gingelly, chilli, banana, guava and other fruit trees, coconut and 100 species of medicinal herbs on the remaining 13 acres.
His association with Dr Nammalvar in the late 1980s made him understand that soil also has life in it and should not be treated with poisonous agrochemicals in the form of fertilizers and pesticides. This realisation made him start using organic farming methods, which he has been practising now for the past 15 years. He feels that it is difficult to practise organic farming without cattle; hence, he keeps cattle, sheep, turkeys, ducks and chickens. Fodder for the cattle and sheep is grown on the farm itself.
He plants trees in long pits three feet deep and three feet wide that are filled with crop waste and other plant materials. When it rains, not a drop runs off from the pits, thanks to the composting material, which also prevents water evaporation by minimising direct exposure to the sun. Further, this method enriches the soil as microorganisms proliferate in these conditions and erosion of soil is prevented. He believes in harnessing the potential of natural agents for pest control. He prepares a solution with plant products and keeps it in different places on the farm. Insects attracted by the smell fall into the pots and die. He has not faced any major pest problem in the past five years of organic farming. He attributes this largely to the crop rotation he follows on the farm, which also considerably reduces weed growth. Further, the cover crops suppress weeds. He feels that weeds only come up if fields are ploughed. If left unploughed, the growth of weeds is very low, and the farmers workload is reduced.
Small tubs filled with water are placed in many places on the farm for visiting birds to drink. In the evening, the cacophony of the birds literally rules out the possibility of any conversation, and one has to move inside his home in the middle of the farm to continue to speak. The birds serve two purposes, he says. They feed on pests and leave their droppings and with them seeds of different kinds of trees from different locations. This contributes to the establishment of new tree species on the farm, he says.What I planted is very little. It is the birds that brought many seeds and planted more trees on my farm, he says.
He donated the trees that stand around various schools in the block. As secretary of the Pudukkottai District Tree Growers Association, he imparts training to farmers, non-governmental organisations, and schoolchildren with the help of Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Vambam, Pudukkottai.
There is no use in expecting the government to do everything, including tree planting. The love for planting and caring trees should come from within. If one goes to Israel, one can see hundreds of trees on hill slopes and surrounding areas. The government there encourages people to grow trees, and the people are also aware about their importance, but here we have real estate companies and municipalities cutting down trees in the name of development or road widening when they should be distributing pamphlets asking people to preserve and grow trees. This you can see only in this country, he says, smiling.
Go back to villages is his advice to youngsters. If you have land, you can earn a decent income from it and need not depend on anybody else for your living, he says. If people go back to villages, then the countrys progress will be automatic. He strongly believes that the exodus from villages to towns and cities is the reason for the many problems in society today.
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