Bhubaneswar: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in people’s lifestyle. It has compelled everyone to ration their supplies and, interestingly, drawing them towards nature for immunity and relief from the toxic environment.
The World Kitchen Garden Day August 30 will be celebrated by the Kitchen Garden Association in the city with a special webinar on the topic ‘Usefulness and management of kitchen garden’. Orissa POST interacted with few kitchen gardeners in the city who have inspired many others to rediscover themselves with nature.
Keeny Mahapatra, a successful kitchen gardener and a specialist in growing micro greens, has also developed quintessential kitchen compost that is both unique and made from vegetable and fruit peels and flowers.
“During this pandemic what truly refreshes my mind, body and soul is my kitchen garden where I have planted brinjal, cabbage, banana, moringa plants and more. Recently, I have started growing micro greens from such as mustard, coriander and fenugreek. They have high nutrition value and definitely increase immunity to fight dreaded diseases like COVID-19,” Keeny says.
Sarat Kumar Tripathy is another noted city kitchen gardener, who passed from OUAT Bhubaneswar in 1980. He has served in various state government departments, including Horticulture, Soil Conservation and Agriculture and is presently a consultant to ICRISAT Odisha – a crop research institute. Tripathy said, “I am interested in terrace gardening and have been growing vegetables on my rooftop. During the COVID-related lockdown I produced organic vegetables for my family.”
Presently, he is cultivating crops like red amaranth, palak, okra, ridge gourd, cucumber, bottle gourd, brinjal and chilli in his kitchen garden.”
Amiya Prasad Sahoo is another plant lover who lives at Sailashree Vihar and is currently serving as a sub-inspector in the Railway Protection Force (RPF). A native of Kalan village of Jajpur district, his passion for rooftop gardening has made him well-known in the area. He took to gardening and vegetable cultivation under the guidance of his father since 1992-93.
“During the pandemic, we got enough time for gardening and opted for kitchen gardening. In fact, gardening keeps one young, energetic and makes him/her healthy while improving the immune system as you spend the morning in the amazing company of plants every day. I am sure time has come when people are going to rediscover life with greens,” says Sahoo.
In 2014, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation honoured Sahoo with the “Nagarbandhu Samman” for making city clean and green.
Surya Prasad Jaysingh is RPF head constable working with Railways and living the life of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kissan’. “Although my profession makes me handle a gun, at heart I am a farmer. In my backyard I am cultivating vegetables, flowers and herbs. My family is very happy with my cultivation and my neighbours take ideas from me on how to develop a healthy kitchen garden. My earnings from organic farming help me to make earn extra money while keeping me fit and healthy. It also improves my immune system.”
Chaitali Shome,OP