Acclaimed tribal farmer Cheruvayal Raman, who devoted his life to preserving traditional rice varieties in Keralam, has died. He was 74.
He had been admitted to the Medical College Hospital in Wayanad with a heart-related ailment.
Raman belonged to the Kurichya tribal community in the Wayanad district. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023 for his contributions to sustainable agriculture.
Raman preserved more than 50 indigenous rice varieties that faced the risk of extinction. He followed traditional organic farming methods and promoted the same among the community.
In Keralam, he was popularly known as 'Wayanad's Nellachan'. He would promote traditional farming by lending seeds to anyone who showed interest; the only condition was that the person had to return the same quantity of seeds after the harvest.
Raman's schooling ended in class five, but his education in traditional farming methods began at the age of 10, when he entered the paddy fields with his uncle.
Following the passing of his uncle a few years later, Raman continued the tradition, preserving the seeds that had been handed over to him.
The arrival of genetically modified seeds prompted Raman to begin the preservation of the traditional rice varieties, an effort he started in the 1990s and continued throughout. Raman lived in a century-old house made of bamboo, cob and adobe.
Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan condoled his death, and called Raman the guardian of Wayanad's agricultural heritage.
"Through his life, he showed the world that farming was not merely a means of livelihood but also a responsibility towards the soil and nature," Satheesan said.
