Farmhouse as a concept has gained very much traction in Indian cities. However, this concept is also getting popular in the hinterlands of India. Thanks to those who served their work-life in the cities and wanted to live close to nature in their native villages.
One such story is about a retired couple who is presently spending their Vanaprastha life in a village called Puvvuladoruvu near Kavali town of Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The couple we are talking about is Mr Chalivendra Prasad and Mrs Alahari Sumathi.
How it all started?
Prasad worked as a manager in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) in Hyderabad in 2016, while Sumathi retired as a Deputy Collector in 2020. Both served the majority of their lives in a metro city like Hyderabad. They even have their own house in Hyderabad. However, nothing stopped them from choosing to live their reminder of lives near to nature in their ancestor’s land in their native village. Having decided to live in Puvvuladoruvu, they quickly came down to Kavali, rented an apartment, and started building their dream farmhouse. Luckily they had 40 cents of inherited land in Puvvuladoruvu. It is the first-of-its-kind farmhouse in this village. No one else constructed a farmhouse in this village. It was more of a reverse happening with the majority of villagers migrating to towns and cities. So when this couple started construction of their farmhouse, everyone was skeptical to how far this would work out. But, four years down the line and the farmhouse has turned out to be a really happy home for them.
How their typical day starts?
A typical morning starts with mellifluous sounds of birds chirping. Some birds even have nests in the trees of their farmhouse. They have bought desi cows (and not jerseys) and do goseva every day. They have made it clear that they would donate their calves to anyone who wants to rear cows. This is just to protect the breed of desi cows. They are rearing hens as well. They are cultivating vegetables, fruits, and even fodder for their cows. Within the boundaries of their one-bedroom house, they have also constructed a beautiful fish pond and are rearing fish like Korameenu. They have a beautiful sprinkler and drip irrigation system in place. In the video, Mr Prasad explains how innovatively they are using plants as feed for their fish 🐟!
They have also made it clear that they do cultivation for self-consumption and not for any commercial purposes. They donate their produce like vegetables, flowers, and fruits to the nearby temple and also to the locals and guests who visit their farmhouse and say that the lockdowns imposed during 2020 and 2021 have made them realize how lucky they are to lead a simple life far away from all the noise, pollution, and concrete jungles.
Our interview videos
Watch Part-1
Watch Part-2:
We visited their house and interviewed them to showcase their lifestyle to the world. This is a two-part video series. Watch both the videos to know how Mr & Mrs. Prasad have built and are maintaining an ideal farmhouse. This couple is a role model to many aspiring people who want to lead their Vanaprastha life like this.
The video is in Telugu. But the message is loud and clear, devoid of any language barrier. We need more people like this.
Way to go Prasad garu 🙏