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HYDERABAD: Although terrace gardening is already fashionable in urban centers like Hyderabad, Thummeti Raghothama Reddy, an expert in this field, will do everything possible to make him even better known by regularly sharing his passion through various media platforms. For over a decade, his focus has been on helping people create patio gardens to grow organic crops and also discourage eating vegetables that contain pesticide residues.
A visit to his home in the village of Narapally, along the Hyderabad-Warangal Highway in Ghatkesar Mandal, will prove his love for gardening and plants. Covered by a canopy of bushes, you can easily see your house in the neighborhood. “After we moved here, with my previous experience in kitchen horticulture, I decided to try terrace horticulture. We started by growing curry leaves only; Our terrace garden now houses various types of fruit, leafy vegetables, vegetables and flowering plants. It’s been more than 10 years since I bought vegetables at markets, ”says a very proud Raghothama Reddy.
“Say no to pesticides”
A native of Vellampalli, now in the Jayashankar-Bhupalally district, he comes from a Ryot family. Raghothama Reddy, however, did not turn agriculture into a profession. Instead, he worked and retired from Singareni Collieries Company Limited in Godavarikhani. Although not a full-time ryot, Raghothama Reddy has been working in the fields and helping family members since he was a teenager.
With the rush of international brands of pesticides, he began to wonder about the effects these chemicals have on the human body. “When we were forced to use endrin for our chilli crop about 45 years ago, I started thinking about how that would affect us. At around the same time, one of our relatives ended his life using this pesticide. After getting a job in Godavarikhani, I bought vegetables in the market for the first time.
I immediately decided to create a kitchen garden, ”recalls Raghothama Reddy. He believes that despite the best efforts of the authorities, the use of various types of banned pesticides is still widespread. That being said, such chemicals are now being sprayed on the floor. “Think about it, when we consume such large amounts of residue, how is our body going to deal with it? So I decided to encourage others to use organic pesticides and I’ve been sharing my work on Facebook since 2015, ”he says.
Terrace garden
He recently compiled all of his experiences in a book called Terrace Garden (Midde Thota). It was published in Telugu and English by Rythu Nestham Publications. The English translation of the book was recently published by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. In addition to participating in over 50 workshops run by Nature’s Voice, the Rythu Nestham Foundation, and the horticultural departments of AP and Telangana, Raghothama Reddy has created around 300 tutorial videos that have been broadcast on television and on YouTube.
“I decided to share my experience so that people not only save money but also avoid using carcinogenic vegetables with pesticides. I just wonder if the entire 50,000 hectare terrace area in Hyderabad is covered with gardens like this, how wonderful that would be, ”he shared his hope with a smile. He explains how to control pests on plants: “It’s easy to control. In the initial phase, you can pluck the affected leaves with your hands. When pest attacks get out of hand, use only neem oil and avoid chemically added pesticides, ”he adds.
