Karimnagar: Mavooram Mallikarjuna Reddy, a young farmer from Karimnagar district of Telangana state, adopted a unique way of expressing his patriotism. He planted black paddy plants in his green field outlining the map of India. Mallikarjun Reddy, who has won several state and national level awards in agriculture, took up this exercise on the occasion of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahostav’, in his agriculture field in Peddakurmapalli of Choppadandi mandal. To ensure that the Indian map’s outline comes across strikingly, he planted Kalabatti (black paddy) saplings. He has also decided that he will hoist the national flag in his agriculture field every day throughout the year beginning August 15.

After completing his education, Mallikarjun Reddy joined a software firm in Hyderabad in 2006. In 2010, he married Sandhya, an MBA graduate. Both worked as software engineers in Hyderabad. Unhappy with his job, Mallikarjun Reddy wanted to get out of the profession and persuaded Sandhya also to join him. They began cultivation in 12 acres of land owned by the family in the village, and once their confidence built up after the success in the field, they leased another five acres to cultivate 26 different varieties of crops.He won the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) award in February this year for cultivating different varieties of organic crops.

Initially, he cultivated paddy in 12 acres but failed to make much profit. Subsequently, he approached agriculture scientists in Professor Jayashankar Agriculture University to learn certain farming techniques. Instead of chemical-based manure, he started practicing organic farming methods. He prepares manure using farm animal dung and neem leaves. Besides paddy, they also grow vegetables and ginger.

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