Miniature forest in the middle of Kochi

KOCHI: There is a two-acre ‘urban forest in the middle of the city, with medicinal plants and a pond, which appears to be a miniature of a dense jungle. Seventy-two-year-old M V Purushothama Kamath from Thammanam, has been busy maintaining the forest around his house. He feels that academic qualifications or age does not define one’s knowledge in a subject or enthusiasm towards it. Kamath, with only an SSLC education, is now busy answering the doubts of researchers and professors regarding the various plants in his miniature forest.

The septuagenarian says he maintains the mini forest inside a city like Kochi, purely out of his love for nature. Named Alungal Farms, the area also has a Nakshatra Vanam, where he has planted trees named after 27 stars in the Malayalam calendar.

“I like it when people refer to this land as forest-like. I love being in this jungle of plants and air. Let this land remain as a breathing space for the city. It is the best we can do for the next generation,” says Kamath, who also conducts classes for select people sent by Krishi Bhavan as part of the Atma project by the Central government.

A big banyan tree offers shade to a considerable part of the forest, which also has many trees belonging to the medicinal groups. The plants are grouped into — Dasapushpam, Dasamoolam, Nalpamaram, Panchvalkal, Trikatu, Triphala, Trijata and Trigandha (the various classification of trees).

On one side, there are cattle, including Kasaragod Kullan and Vechoor cow.  A pond nearby is cohabited by ducks and fish. There are also plants grouped for selling as part of the nursery, which is a major source of income for Kamath. “I quit my job with Canara Bank to do farming, which had stopped for a while. My father was a farmer and I also developed an interest in it. In 1984, I turned to my farm completely. The first thing I did was collect the near-extinct plants, and then carry out a research on them.

Recently, a person gave me some writings on palm leaves. When I requested officials in Kerala University, they sent a person to clean them,” Kamath says. For him, maintaining the mini-forest is a daily routine. His day starts before 5am and by 5.30am, he is at the cattle shed, cleaning and filling the water pots. Kamath says, watering the plants is like a pooja for him. His son Anand P Kamath, also joined him now after quitting his job.

Starry forest
Named Alungal Farms, the area also has a Nakshatra Vanam, where he planted trees named after 27 stars in the Malayalam calendar