Stories about engineers quitting their jobs to pursue their passions, among other reasons, are rather not knew. But perhaps this engineer from India has a unique case, because he left the engineering field for plants. Yes, plants.
Ganesan RP worked for a long time as an engineer, until it came to a point that he could no longer find fulfillment in his work. So in 2003, he gave up his job.
“I was not happy with my line and after some internal analyses, I realised I should give some thought to what I am passionate about,” said Ganesan, who is now 50 years old.
He told Your Story that ever since he was a student, he is fascinated about plants. Realizing that it is his passion, Ganesan gave it a shot.
“During my school days I used to plant a lot of trees. So I thought that maybe this is my line,” he said. “My neighbor at that time was working in human resources and since they are insightful people, his encouragement confirmed that planting trees is something I want to do.”
Good thing that his ancestor has land properties where he could plant, which he eventually purchased some of it later on.
The engineer started planting with tamarind. However, the seeds did not grow as they should and failed over time.
While he had the ambition, Ganesan admits that he was lost on what he should do given that he had no formal background with agriculture. So he sought help from experts.
Source: Your Story
“Initially, the toughest part was to analyze the kind of trees that could grow well in the dry, laterite soil of my area,” he said.
Until he met an expert who introduced him to the tree called red sanders. In total, Ganesan spent four years studying that plant, asking tips even from farmers.
“Like humans, trees also have a native place. The native place of red sanders is Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Soil differs within 100 feet, so to understand and see the practicality of the soil, I went to Tirupati in a borrowed car.
“I studied the root formation, the soil type and discovered that trees there survive only on rainwater. I also met the District Forest Officer (DFO) at Tirupati and got some insights from him,” Ganesan added.
But because this new pursuit doesn’t gain so much of a profit compared to his job as an engineer, Ganesan has rented out a property, which provides him with a steady flow of income. That setup enabled him to be financially stable while pursuing his ambition.
He lives in Hosur, Tamil Nadu in India, but his 50-acre farm is located 100 kilometers away.
Now it has 40,000 trees, all of which are planted by Ganesan himself over a span of 14 years. Majority of his plants now are red sanders, while there are over 100 species of trees and plants such as teak, mahogany, ailanthus, and pterocarpus marsupium.
Plus he didn’t have to water the plants from tumblers as he had a rainwater harvesting system and there was water dripping from the upper land next to his farm.
Now Ganesan is preparing to expand his plants to fruits and vegetables. Moreover, he is wishing that he could put up a forest where trees could provide shelter, shade, and fruits to the birds.
Source: Your Story
