Nature afficionado turned painter

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
Ramesh painting at a house
Ramesh painting at a house

Chennai :

As he scrapes the walls of my house, he begins talking in English. Prod him, and he says he was a practical guide to 27 PhD students until a few years ago. Meet Ramesh, who is popularly known as ‘organic’ Ramesh. Now a painter, he was a field assistant at some colleges in the city. “I started out as a teenager in New College where I helped students with their lab works and assignments. My professors saw my interest in soil, trees and worms, and encouraged me to pursue organic farming,” he says.
He is a known face to the residents of Adyar, where he is regularly seen with a shovel and a sapling. “I give a sapling to anyone I meet. I believe everyone should grow their own trees, even if it’s a bonsai,” he smiles.
Ask him about his interest in nature and farming, and he says, “When I saw a worm, I used to analyse it rather than shoving it away. Slowly my interest piqued. As I grew up, I started attending every lecture on zoology, horticulture and agriculture,” says this school dropout.

Ramesh used to spend several hours at the lab where he would explore structures of different organisms under the microscope. He admits he never knew any language other than Tamil when he started working in the college. Narrating an experience of working along with an American to learn about the biogas plant, Ramesh says, “New College had just bought a biogas plant and no one knew how to use it. A professor asked me to learn the procedure from the American and I did. Back then, when someone spoke in English, all I did was nod my head. I was dubbed thalaiaati bommai. That’s when I realised the importance of learning a language,” he says as he explains the cedure in English.

 Over the years, Ramesh has helped set up biogas plants, vermicompost pit, organic plants, kitchen garden terrace garden, across homes, schools and colleges. Personal setbacks and fallouts with a few higher authorities led him to take up painting. “Zoology was all I knew. It was only later that I took the painting brush. Initially, when I started painting, I used to cry all day. But now I enjoy it,” he says.

Ramesh is still the star wherever he goes. He has clients all over the city for whom he helps set up organic gardens. “I procure all my materials from a farm in ECR. That’s the only place I trust,” he says adding that anyone can become adept in organic farming. “Avoid plastics and fertilisers. I recommend lesser use of soil and more of cocopith, neem cakes, lipstick (a solution made using honey and neem oil to attract pests which are then killed by the neem solution) as disinfectant and panchakaviyam,” he says claiming that the latter was his innovation. “As I loved to experiment, I made this liquid fertiliser using curd, buttermilk, cow dung, cow urine and banana.”

Dismissing the myth that certain trees will not grow in the Chennai climate, Ramesh says, “When you make use of less soil, you can grow any kind of plant you want.”

To set up your garden, call 7092195939

TIPS

Avoid pots. Grow your trees in grow bags.

Make sure you have a vermicompost pit with red soil in your garden.Use cocopith and natural elements to enhance plant growth.If you wish to have a terrace garden, apply cooling oil on the terrace before placing your plants. This helps cool your house and prevents water from pots seeping into your homes.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Anushree Madhavan / by Express News Service / May 08th, 2017