With discarded trousers and shirts as garden containers, 13-year-old from Karumalloor shows the way

Thirteen-year-old Abhinav P.S. turns old clothes into garden containers, drawing attention to his innovative farming methods.

Thirteen-year-old Abhinav P.S. at Manakkapady in Karumalloor was short of money to buy conventional planting pots, but, with a little imagination and some experiments, he has succeeded in turning his used trousers, jeans and shirts into garden containers. The effort by the young and enterprising Abhinav has drawn a lot of attention and visitors to the little plot of land close to his house.

The young farmer did not have money to buy pots or containers needed to cultivate vegetables, said K.M. Laiju, a member of Karumaloor panchayat. He then thought of using his discarded clothes for the purpose. His neighbours were initially taken by surprise, but now it has become part of the village farming circle.

Abhinav is a student of Class 8 at FMCT Higher Secondary School, Karumalloor. He has cultivated a keen interest in farming and accompanies his mother, who cultivates a five-cent plot leased for farming.

The youngster is following the good example set by those who have gone ahead of him. Karumalloor is a well-known village of hard-working farmers, who have not allowed frequent flooding of the fields to discourage their activities. The village has been famous for producing traditional vegetables and bananas as well as paddy in substantial quantities during the past.