Keerthi Pandian learns basics of farming during lockdown

Chennai

With the help of her cousin, Keerthi started farming at her family’s gated home property. “I started my farming experience by tilling the land with our tractors. I learned how to drive a tractor and drove it for almost 25 days from morning to evening. I try to learn more about engines and how each vehicle works. It was a different experience tilling our land. A lot of Kingfisher birds were around the tractors waiting to eat the worms off the ground. It was such a spectacular view to see large flocks of Kingfishers coming to the farmland,” she says.

Apart from primary crops, Keerthi planted different types of vegetables and fruits like mangoes, oranges, mosambi, and custard apple. “Like any other first-time farmers, I too depended on the Internet to get information on soil, crops, vegetables and farming, in general. I did a lot of research about what crops to plant during each season. It’s very interesting to know certain facts about the food we eat. In our land itself, a few patches have black soil, a few have red and brown soil. So, we needed to know what crops and vegetables needed to be planted,” she shares.

Keerthi agrees that she is not a morning person, but is willing to sacrifice her sleep for two things she loves the most — films and theatre. “Well, I can add farming too in that list now. I get up around 5.30 and goes to the land for watering. After that, I return home to have breakfast and then again leave for the land. At noon, I take a small break for lunch. I will be on land until 6 pm daily. I have just started farming and have a long way to go. In the future, I am planning to juggle my work and farming,” she concludes with a smile.