Purpose over Passion: The Search for Authenticity

“I didn’t have much faith in organic farming”, Suresh Ji looks back. “But my colleague Sonu would say, ‘One day this farm would yield so much produce, you’ll go insane trying to manage it’”. Today, Suresh Ji is happy to be proved wrong, as he’s flooded with farm output and consumer demands.

Although he came from an agricultural background, Suresh Ji previously worked for Mr. Nand Kishore Chaudhary as a driver. “It’s what I always wanted to do”, he quips fondly. “Initially, my family set up a garment shop in hopes of a better income, but it just didn’t work”. He opens up animatedly, that if one is meant to be a driver, his calling will eventually take him back to the vehicle. So, it happened that Suresh Ji procured a car and started working for Jaipur Rugs. Unlike what we assume, passion comes in many forms.

So, what prompted the shift to organic farming? A fellow agriculture enthusiast and now colleague, Sonu Tak, introduced him to the world of organic farming, taking him back to his roots. “Initially, I didn’t feel it could work. Most of these vegetables were used for self-consumption, and rest were hurriedly disposed of.” He informs that the average sales at the time were barely sustainable. Today, he proudly states that the figures have grown by nearly five times. 

But the journey towards this growth was rather complicated. “At the beginning, I have seen many self-important agricultural experts and scientists (Kalakaar as he calls them) come here. They would supplant the indigenous crops with unsuitable ones at a whim, and the output suffered. The soil just couldn’t sustain these crops” But with people like Suresh Ji at the helm, who have grown up watching the trials and tribulations of cultivation, the organic farming process at JR Farms was gradually streamlined. He greatly emphasized the importance of growing produce that is both local and seasonal. After all, respecting the local soil conditions is paramount.

From dismissing organic farming, he now proudly supports the idea. “I have recommended these practices to my family. I can see how these farm chemicals cost them a bomb.” ‘Zeher’, is how he labels chemical fertilizers. But the reasons for this preference are as practical as they are environmental.

“It is a misconception that organic farming leads to poor yields. This patch of Tinda over here has been producing output for over 3 months now. A regular patch would last only for a month.” Not just the yield, even the shelf life is affected. He tells me, the Spinach from our farm lasts up to a week after purchase, while the regular one would begin to rot in a day. With experience, I can vouch for the latter.

Returning after a surgical procedure, Suresh Ji has customers relying on him for their organic produce, calling persistently. “We even have customers from Punjab and Ludhiana in waiting. The demand is frantic”, he sweats. While he still enjoys driving, handling the farm operations keeps him more than engaged. But what I see is contentment, more than stress. In the end, a sense of purpose seems to have taken over passion.