Farmer, friend reform six youths
Vishnu and Rahul along with their friends at the farmland in KS Puram in Kollam. (Photo: DC)
Kollam: Vishnu and Rahul, once known for their gangster ways are totally reformed today. They have given up weapons for farm tools and are trying to make some meaning of their lives. The lives of these gangsters took a U-turn when they met Sadanandan Pillai, a farmer in their village and now, along with six other members of their once notorious gang, they are on a greening mission.
These youngsters from K.S.Puram in Kollam had several criminal cases registered against them in police stations nearby, before their communion with Sadanandan Pillai and ward member Shyju Kumar. The duo pleaded with them for over three years before they finally decided to give up their deadly arms. “I feel we should have done this much earlier. As we have started earning, our families and the villagers too are happy. But we still have cases pending in courts,” Vishnu says.
The Agriculture Department also extended its support by accommodating them in the ‘karshika karmasena’ programme.
“We selected four of them to undergo training at the Agriculture Engineering Division, where they were taught to operate tractors and tillers. They will benefit from it and get a permanent income and accreditation from the Farm Department as well. They can also can earn their livelihood by farming on barren land,” says V.R. Binesh, Agriculture Officer, K.S.Puram. It was the efforts of Binesh and panchayath president P.S. Abdul Saleem that helped the youngsters procure land on lease.
Vishnu and Rahul along with others have cultivated upland paddy on an acre of land and are getting ready for vegetable cultivation on another piece of land. Sadanandan Pillai has now taken the role of a teacher.
“I used to see the youngsters occasionally. They were drunk most often than not. Finally out of remorse, they came to me. I taught them the virtues of agriculture and now I am with them,” says Sadanandan Pillai.
( Source : dc )
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