Sixty-five-year-old Malakaiah Mirzaguda – a farmer in Ranga Reddy, Telangana – moved from growing pulses to floriculture, turning his land into a vibrant garden for locals and travelers to enjoy.
Malakaiah Mirzaguda, 65, dressed in white, as a drive to Chevella in Ranga Reddy district (45 km from Hyderabad) punch And complemented by the shirt and his silver hair, the dark brown ground and yellow flowers contrast in the background. With lilies, sunflowers and roses of different colours, the sight of red, yellow and orange makes the audience think about the song ‘Dekha Ek Khwaab’ from the Hindi film. continuation (1981) Featured in the Keukenhof tulip garden in the Netherlands.
Sitting under the shade of a neem tree, Malkaiah is a farmer taking a break from growing pulses on his four acres of land in Mirzaguda village on his way to Chevella.
‘Pleasure for my land’
Sixty-five year old farmer Malakaiah Mirzaguda and his wife at their flower field in Ranga Reddy, Telangana. photo Credit: Sanjay Borra
Malakaiah has converted half of his four acres of land into flower beds because he wanted his land to look beautiful from afar. He shares, “During the lockdown in 2020, when there was not much to do, I took some farm laborers and sowed the seeds. I wanted to bring happiness to my land and give color to the people in and around the villages and the pedestrians on the highway. Malakaya replaced the cultivation of groundnut and cotton with floriculture in the land.
Malakiya confesses that he can afford the luxuries as his estranged sons bear it. One of his two sons is a lawyer and the other works in the Telangana Police Department. Malakaiah says, “Our sons look after us. They want me to retire and rest at home, but I can’t think of doing that. I may not need to support my family, but I can’t think of sitting idle or not growing anything on my land. I believe once a farmer, always a farmer.”
Surrounded by agar trees, at the far end of his land is a small house that doubles as storage. It is here that he and his wife Venkatamma retire for a rest instead of going home to their village.
Malkaiah comes for a walk every morning from his house in the village, 3 km away from the farm. “I like walking; My wife can’t walk much because her knees hurt, so she is dropped by neighbor or someone on our two wheeler. She returns home in the same way in the evening,” said Malakaiah.
busy on weekends
On weekends, Malacca’s flower patch looks busy as families head to Chevella for a weekend stay or make pitstops here for selfies and photos at their respective farmhouses. Malkaiah gets busy in informing the people about the plot. Sometimes he is unable to pay attention at all, but kind visitors are sure to visit Malacca, thank him for the flower garden, some even put money in his pocket as a token of appreciation.
Malakaiah Mirzaguda, a sixty-five year old farmer in his flower field in Ranga Reddy, Telangana. photo Credit: Sanjay Borra
“On weekdays, I see about 50 people. On weekends this number increases manifold. Children and women love to take pictures next to flowers. Some people extend their photo breaks and sit under the shade of this neem tree just to admire the flowers. City dwellers especially children do not get to see so many flowers blooming in one place. When people approach to buy flowers, whatever price we are willing to pay, we sell them.”
“There is no point in letting it rot in the ground,” he says. Sunflowers don’t get customers, I planted them because when in bloom, all turned to the highway, they add a much-needed enjoyable view. When sunflowers are dried, we extract the oil for use in our home or use the seeds as a snack. Removing the seeds when the flowers are dry is a laborious process. We do this even today because consuming roasted seeds is good for our health. On a part of the land which is now barren, they used to grow safflower for oil.
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