Naan Nammalvar Pesukiren

Nammalvar is one of the most prominent people who took the initiative for organic farming. He was born in Thirukkattupalli in 1938. He earned a BSc in agriculture from Annamalai University. He battled for organic farming and farmer welfare till the end of his life. This book is Nammalvar's biography. There are 55 chapters in this book, 39 of which were written by Nammalvar. The remaining are compilations of his works, collected by the book publisher. Each chapter came as a series in “Pasumai Vikatan” magazine. It has now been put together as a book.

At the beginning of this book, Nammalvar takes us to the Kovilpatti Agriculture Research Center, where he spent almost seven years in a supervisory role. He relocated to another location for agriculture research after being unable to handle the corruption within the organization. He then goes on to talk about his siblings and his early years and family history. He also explains how life was simple at his time and, later, when industrialization and commercialization emerged, how life got complicated. He and his brother produced a natural fertilizer in their early years by combining human and cow feces. This allowed them to increase the output of their crops. They didn't stop at their farm; they also shared the knowledge with the farmers next door, which enabled them to increase their yield. That was a significant accomplishment in 1955. Additionally, in the book, he recalls his several instructors who guided him to tremendous heights and imparted invaluable knowledge.

Following his departure from the Kovilpatti agriculture research center, he worked as an agronomist for Dominique Pire, the Nobel laureate, at Island of Peace. His main goal was raising the standard of living in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu by developing the agricultural sector in the Kalakad block. It was at this point that he understood farmers should rely as little as possible on outside inputs to achieve the best possible results in farming. Every input ought to originate from the farm itself. It is better to recycle and use so-called garbage as input. His life took a drastic change after learning this. He started experimenting with sustainable agriculture techniques after losing all faith in traditional farming methods.

He provides an explanation of why synthetic fertilizers are not environmentally beneficial in one of the chapters. Plants use a process known as photosynthesis to prepare their own food. When heat waves from the sun reach the earth, they are converted into light rays. It turns to heat when it hits people. However, it turns into sugar when it hits plants. Plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere and water from their roots during the photosynthesis process. This combination causes the sunlight to be transformed into sugar. Chlorophyll is the green pigment that gives leaves their color. An essential component of chlorophyll synthesis is nitrogen. The air on Earth is 78% nitrogen. Ammonia is produced by treating the air and thereby producing urea. 46% of urea is nitrogen. The majority of Indian farmers end their lives due to their inability to pay back the loans they took out to purchase urea. Why do we need to purchase a chemical for nitrogen when there is plenty of nitrogen in the air around us? In addition, urea is a salt. The soil's fertility will be reduced and all microorganisms will be killed when salt is added.

He discussed a number of riddles he had heard from villagers throughout this book, along with their effects on him. Throughout his life, he included riddles with every speech he gave. Nammalvar was adamantly against calling someone "Sir." All people are equal, he said, and everyone can address others by name. He desired to be addressed by name by the public and his fellow coworkers. Most people call him "Alvar Annachi." Additionally, he discussed how he raised awareness of organic farming through street play. Nammalvar was greatly influenced by Mr. Bernard de-Clerk, whom he considered his guru.

When the European Patent Office gave a Neem tree patent to the US, Nammalvar stood up and fought for the issue fiercely. Nammalvar and his team gathered outside the patent head office in Germany. An officer and a lawyer came out, and they were shocked to see them holding parts of the neem tree in their hands. The officer asked the first person, “What is this?” The person replied, “This is a neem leaf. You run to a hospital when you get the pox, but we run to our backyard and sleep under the neem tree. That’s it.” The officer said, “I see, I see,” and walked straight. Nammalvar smiled as the officer approached and asked, “What is this?” Nammalvar responded, “This is my toothbrush.” The officer asked in a puzzled tone, “Toothbrush?” Nammalvar explained, “Yes, this is my toothbrush. Do you know the specialty of this? You usually need a brush and a paste to brush, but my toothbrush has its paste inside. See, it’s two in one,” and showed it to the officer. The officer again said, “I see, I see.” Nammalvar looked at him and said, “It has another advantage. Look,” as he dropped the stem. He continued, “If you drop your toothbrush or toothpaste, nothing happens, but when I drop my brush, a new tree will be born in the same place.” On the next hearing, India availed the patent rights for the neem tree.

He was adamant that he could only have a greater influence if people embraced him as their friend or neighbor. He therefore lived among the locals. He dressed simply. He worked as a layman instead as a commander. Because of the simplicity of his language, he could express complicated ideas in words that were easily understood by anyone. He was a man of simplicity.

The book also includes Nammalvar's many hardships, his leadership of multiple protests, his new ideas for organic farming, his development projects in several villages, and much more. To provide readers with more understanding, the testimonies of his coworkers and the people are also appended to this book. All in all, Nammalvar's life and works can be fully explored in this book. He not only preached his ideas but also lived after them, demonstrating their complete efficacy. For all of us, it is a blessing that there was a man like him in our generation. Today, organic farming is famous and widely spoken among the people, all because of Nammalvar’s vision and mission.

Enjoy Reading!