Back To Roots

With losing interest in regards to agriculture amongst the students, MB Puranik, president of a private CBSE affiliated educational institute in Mangluru, made the “introduction to agriculture” as a compulsory subject for children from class 5 to 10 at his school.

Sharda Vidyanikethan Public School at Talapady has recruited five-member faculties, led by a postgraduate in agriculture for teaching along with textbooks in ‘agriculture science’ being given to each class.

MB Puranik’s driving motif was said to stem from his various interactions with students where he realised that not many knew the appearance of various vegetables or from where they came and even the origins of the milk that they drank. He took the initiative following an advice from one of his friends given the lack of basic agricultural knowledge amongst the students.

Belonging to an agricultural background himself and with a degree in Botany, he assembled some experts and tied up with a leading seed company in Bengaluru and put his actions into play.

Starting this summer with two cents of land, certain vegetables were planted; the yield, as per Puranik, was encouraging enough to move forward with the idea. He currently has about seven acres of land at his disposal out which three and a half acre land has been dedicated for students’ agricultural education.

Each class is said to have a customized syllabus, with practical training on the dedicated land so that the students can observe the process of cultivation. About eighteen to twenty varieties of fruits and vegetables will be grown by children with an organic method using the compost without pesticides or insecticides.

Through this initiative, Mr Puranik wishes to see today’s generation revisit their roots and see that love for nature and Mother Earth just like their forefathers had. According to him, it is the only way to move forward in these modern times.