Tamil Nadu-based Lakshmi Amal, 89, and Kasturi Sivaraman, 71, are mother-daughter relationships and by starting their own farm stay at this age, they have proved that age is just a number. Both Lakshmi and Kasturi grew up in a conservative-minded family, where they did everything their parents told them to do.
Both belonged to a family where they did not have the freedom to express their opinion. The education of both was also done only for name only. Lakshmi studied only in Class 3 and Kasturi in a Tamil-medium school till Class 7. Even after marriage, they did what their husbands said. These two women, who never took any decision, lacked self-confidence.
Usually, when one gets used to acting on the instructions of the other, it becomes difficult to take decisions on their own. So in 2021, when Kasturi’s son, Kiruba Shankar suggested him to run his own farmstay, both of them had Inner fear and lack of confidence completely stood as obstacles in the way. But here his family supported him, due to which not only did he overcome his fear, but also started running the farmstay well.
Pico Farm stay started
The ‘Pico Farm Stay’ was built on his 185-year-old organic farm in Rettanai village in Tamil Nadu, but it was then only open to relatives and friends.
Lakshmi and Kasturi are very happy to start their work. Kasturi says that she only regrets why she didn’t start this work earlier. Kasturi talks about her fears that she always wondered who would love to come to a farmstay run by two elderly women who only know how to speak Tamil.
She says, “My mother was afraid to talk to strangers. But we overcame our fears and started hosting people who come here to take a break from their busy lives and spend some moments of relaxation.” Kasturi says it has been the best decision of her life.
YouTubers made famous
Running this farmstay, nestled in the middle of a large agricultural ‘Vakshna’ farm, can be physically exhausting, especially for senior citizens, and it would be wrong to assume that these women have the resources to do all this. There is no super-power.
Because it is not like that at all. Both of them are also very tired. But there are days when they rest more and work less.
More than 200 guests have come to Pico Farmstay so far. That is, on an average 10 guests come here every month. However, the initial weeks were tough for Lakshmi and Kasturi.
Kasturi says that due to the lockdown, not a single guest came to her farmstay for about six months. After a long time some Youtubers came here, who gave it a very good review online and even made a video. “It increased our popularity very quickly,” she says. Kasturi is now learning to use the internet so that she can read reviews herself.
Green Farm stay built on barren land
Vakshana Farm, spread over 13 acres, is his ancestral farm, where every generation has grown the crop. When Lakshmi’s husband passed away 37 years ago, their son took up farming and when it was Kasturi’s son Kiruba’s turn, he chose a different career in digital marketing. As a result, it was not used for years and the land remained barren.
However, in 2011 the family took a collective decision to bring back the greenery by growing some crops with a farmstay. Laxmi says, “It was a family activity. Every member of our family including my great-granddaughter contributed in planting many trees. After our farm was ready, many of our relatives started visiting us. He wanted to take a few days off from his urban life and spend time in peace.”
Here the land is divided into different parts. Trees like mahogany, wood, sandalwood and mango have been planted in one part. Paddy is cultivated in another part. The family has also come up with a ‘mandala’ concept. Vegetables like tomato, brinjal, cauliflower, beans, cabbage etc. are grown here in an organic way.
There are five ponds in the farm stay for rain water harvesting and rain harvesting. The saved water is used for fish farming. Although the family has hired laborers to look after the farm, Lakshmi and Kasturi enjoy taking care of the plants and trees.
What are the facilities?
Although Lakshmi and Kasturi had no experience, they were both very excited about what a farm stay would look like! They have kept in mind every comfort and convenience of the guests who come here. It has modern facilities like AC, washing machine, television, internet and more.
Kasturi says, “We wanted to combine our local experiences here, especially to give the guests a taste of our cuisine here. There may be hundreds of farm stays, but we wanted to add something different.” Kasturi says that the construction of the house first started with large windows, so that enough natural light and air could come in.
The house has wooden floors, two mini-libraries and several indoor plants to keep the air clean. The outside view of the farm is visible from every part of the house.
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What’s special on the menu?
Laxmi says, “Living on a farm is an experience that everyone should have. From the large windows, the guests can see the crops, vegetables etc. of the field.” She says there are no roads, vehicles or people around. Therefore, the guests coming here get a chance to be very close to nature and their privacy is also respected.
Laxmi and Kasturi have given special attention to prepare the menu of the food. Vegetables and fruits grown in the farm are used to prepare various dishes. Guests love the ‘sembarti’ or hibiscus juice here.
Kasturi says the joy of serving food made from local crops grown by the family is so much that she doesn’t remember her age-related ailments.
One of his guests, Priya Velu, writes, “The best part of staying at Pico was tasting the delicacies prepared by Dadi (Lakshmi). The always smiling grandmother was the sweetest host. I can say that these women are not working just for money. The interior of the house is so calm and comfortable. For the first time, my Golden Retriever had a place to hang out at the farm stay.”
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Original article: Gopi Karelia
Editing: Archana Dubey
Also read: 10 Best Farmstays In India
Source: hindi.thebetterindia.com
: Language Inputs
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