Kerala techie who felled his rubber plantation to grow trees, plants

He is an electronic architect by profession working in a multinational tech firm. But his love for nature made him fell rubber trees on his three-acre property at Chottanikkara near Kochi in Kerala and convert it into a farm full of exotic trees, medicinal plants and herbs.

For Ezekiel Poulose, 39, of Aikkaravellil House, the decision to cut the rubber trees that used to yield money was a tough call. But he still went for it because he felt the importance of growing different types of trees and plants to preserve the ecosystem. “There is no point in running madly after money by destroying nature. I grew up seeing my father planting different types of trees. I used to join him for watering and nurturing the saplings during my childhood days. My farm now has 500 varieties of medicinal trees and herbs,” Ezekiel Poulose told “Open Digest”.

It took 18 years for Ezekiel Poulose to make his farm which radiates a lot of freshness and positivity. Amidst a busy schedule working in the corporate firm in Bengaluru, Ezekiel used to find time to visit his farm to take care of the plants, trees and herbs. Ezekiel also grows vegetables strictly following organic farming procedures at his farm. His inspiration is his father A C Paulose, who used to travel a lot while working in Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and collect different types of saplings during his journey for planting it at home. Ezekiel is proud of a Rudraksha tree, commonly found in the Himalayas, which stands tall now in his farm. 

His farm now has charismatic trees like Paarijatham, atthi, chakkarakolli (a plant that reduces the craving for sweets), Lakshmi taru and Betadine plant (used for treating deep wounds).  His collection of herbs and medicinal plants include Shimshapa from Sri Lanka, which is known to be effective for skin-related issues and anali vegam from Agasthyamalai used as anti-venom.

Ezekiel Poulose also used to travel to faraway places in search of exotic varieties of plants and trees after conducting research. Ezekiel has set up a homestay at the farm which also has a large pond where he does fish farming. Apart from fish, he also rears different species of ducks and hen at his farm. Ezekiel stays at the farm along with his parents, wife and two children.