The mega training workshop, titled ‘Bharat Traditional Vegetable and Seed Festival,’ was held on October 6 in Salem. The event, organized by Isha’s Save Soil Movement, drew thousands of farmers and members of the public to Salem Padmavani College.
Swami Srimukha, the project coordinator of Isha’s Save Soil Movement, spoke about the festival’s purpose, stating, “The key to toxin-free food and healthy, disease-free living lies in natural farming. For the past 20 years, we have been actively promoting natural farming practices through the Save Soil Movement."
He further emphasized the role vegetables play in human health but expressed concern about the excessive use of pesticides in farming. “Today, pesticides are routinely sprayed on vegetables, leading to a rise in food contamination. This has led to an excessive rise in Diabetic and Cancer oil patients in the country. The purpose of this event is to advocate for the production of toxin-free food,” Swami Srimukha explained.
Quoting Sadhguru he reiterated, “Those working with the soil must have a stable economy; only then will farming will flourish on a large scale.” In line with this, the festival aims to educate farmers on increasing their income through value addition, marketing, and the use of appropriate technologies.
Actor Padava Gopi, who led the artistic performances, commented humorously, "If vegetables were like Kollywood stars, the potato would be the superstar—loved by all, young and old. Sweet potatoes would be young leader Vijay, white radishes would be Ajith, and the elephant foot yam would be Vijay Sethupathi.” He went on to highlight the medicinal properties of vegetables, citing the Cayenne pepper from the capsicum family as an example. “Cayenne pepper, which is not very spicy, acts as a blood thinner and strengthens the heart muscles—something we should all take pride in cultivating."
Distinguished guests at the event included Thiru R. Jaganathan, Vice-Chancellor of Periyar University, Salem, and Thiru K. Sathyamoorthy, Chairman of Padmavani Educational Institutions.
Pioneer farmer Thiru Thakkali Raman gave an insightful presentation on “Tomato Cultivation: Technologies from Seed to Sale,” while pest management expert Thiru Poochi N. Selvam discussed “Simple Solutions for Pests and Diseases in Vegetables.” Vegetable healer Thiru Arun Prakash, known for treating over 50,000 people with vegetable remedies, shared his experiences on “Vegetable Remedies for Health Issues.”
Additionally, home garden and food forest trainer Smt. Vidhaithivu Priya, along with pioneer farmer Thiru Marimuthu, shared insights on “Profits from Vegetable Cultivation in Containers.”
Dr. Senthilkumar and Dr. V. Shankar, chief scientist from the Bangalore ICAR-IIHR (Indian Institute of Horticultural Research), delivered a special lecture on “Soil and Crop Resource Management Technologies,” discussing high-yield vegetable varieties and the techniques to cultivate them.
A key highlight of the festival was the farm market featuring seed festival, and direct sales by farmers. Fifteen pioneering seed guardians from five states showcased and sold over 1,000 traditional seed varieties, promoting their widespread use.
The direct market also featured more than 20 traditional rice varieties, value-added millet products, natural beauty products, 50 types of herbal plants, 250 varieties of ice cream, including vegetable-based ice creams, and over 100 stalls in total.
For the past 15 years, Isha’s Save Soil Movement has been promoting natural farming across Tamil Nadu with the goal of enriching the soil. Various training sessions have been conducted throughout the state to improve farmers' livelihoods. Notably, 25,000 farmers have received training through this initiative.