105-year-old Kovai grandma’s life mantra is to popularise organic farming

In a telephone chat with us, the 105-year-old says, “I love doing farming and have been doing it until two years ago. Even though I don’t actively do farming now, I am more than happy to share my knowledge of farming with others. Initially, I used to cultivate everything, but now at my 2.5-acre land, it is mostly bananas. Fifty or 60 years ago, farming wasn’t an easy thing. We have to put in a lot of hard work to cultivate veggies and other things.”

A person who doesn’t like to sit idle, Pappammal doesn’t have any age-related ailments. She says that the secret is positive thinking and an active lifestyle. Kavitha, the wife of Pappamal’s grandson, pitches in, “We are always amazed by her energy and enthusiasm. She gets up early in the morning around 6.30 and after her morning chores, she visits people in the neighbourhood. Meeting people and exchanging information give her a lot of energy. We don’t need to accompany her. During her free time, paati loves watching the news and is an ardent admirer of M Karunanidhi. She is a party member and was also elected as a councilor in the Karamadai Panchayat Union.”

Kavitha adds that her paati always make sure to eat healthily. “Her favourite dish is mutton curry. She also likes ragi kuli and kambu kuli — they are healthy and loaded with nutrients. She also adds a lot of veggies and keerai varieties in her meals. One habit that she follows for a long time is to have food in banana leaf,” she says. Pappammal wants to popularise organic farming and is trying her best to do that.