430+ Varieties of Bananas: Kerala Man's 3-Acre Farm Bears Harvest Worth Over a Lakh

"I am immensely proud to be known by that name. After all, this is my banana empire!" [View this email in your browser]( International varieties like the lady's finger banana, red banana and the blue java are also members of the farm. Vinod Sahadevan Nair, 60, from Parassala, Trivandrum, likes to believe that he has established a banana empire of sorts! He might not be wrong. In 30 years, [Vinod has collected and cultivated over 430 varieties of the fruit from across India and the world!]( Thanks to this, he entered the Limca book of records in 2015. He was also given the award for 'best farmer' by the ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana. "We owned 3 acres of barren land used to cultivate paddy. I was just 12 when my father started cultivating bananas in that land, and I began to help him out. Slowly, I grew to love the work so much that every day after school, I would head straight to the farm. Even after I left Parassala for studies, I would return on the weekends and involve myself in the farming work," explains Vinod. Although many institutes refused to help him, Vinod didn't give up and decided to look at international varieties of bananas. He travelled to Malaysia, Africa, Australia, Hawaii and Honduras and brought back many rare varieties that grow in coastal climatic conditions. "People in my village, even the little kids, lovingly call me 'Vazhachettan' (plantain man). I am immensely proud to be known by that name. After all, this is my banana empire!" he says. [Have a look at his amazing story here](. [Read More]( COVID-19 Update: India registered over 3,000 new coronavirus cases for the second day as the total number of coronavirus cases in the country surged past 55,000. The total number of coronavirus cases in India stood at 56,342, according to the ministry of health and family welfare. Maharashtra confirmed over 1,200 fresh coronavirus cases on Thursday, for the second consecutive day. The death toll in India climbed to 1,886 with over 100 people succumbed to death in the last 24 hours So stay indoors, and be safe! [Solar Fridge Vans Bring the Market to Kolkata’s Elderly; Sell Meat & Veggies!]( [Mumbai Start-Up Designs Hands-Free Sanitizing Station; Installs 1050 Across City]( [Making Raisins on Grape Vines: Pune, Nashik Farmers Innovate to Tackle Lockdown!]( 21,000 Meals. Over 1000 Families: How Your Donations are Feeding Thousands Daily! Today, thanks to all of you, we have raised over Rs 17 Lakh for #BetterTogether. The one thing we are being very careful about is that the funds you donate should reach the ground as soon as possible. The first set of these has been transferred to five of our initiatives, and from Maharashtra to Meghalaya, ration kits have been distributed to hundreds of families. Thanks to heroes like you, so many children, women and elderly across India can procure basic food essentials like rice, oil, milk, pulses, flour, sugar, salt and so on. However, this is not enough as thousands of needy are still suffering and in need of your immediate support. Our goal is to raise Rs 8,300,375. [Donate Here]( From 4 Am to Midnight, This DU Student Delivers Food to Delhi’s Poorest Every Day! Life is harder than before for people dwelling in low-income neighbourhoods around the country. Courtesy lockdown. In Delhi, one can see them in the still-dark hours of the morning, lining up outside the schools run by the Municipal Corporation to get their share of food. Sometimes as early as 3 AM. For 19-year-old Anushka Ganguli, a final year BA Physics (Honours) student from Delhi University, mornings have become early too. The teen sets out from her flat in the wee hours to distribute food, rations and medicines. She knows the people are desperate, waiting for some help so early in the morning. And she makes sure she is there on time. [Read More]( Our Best Of The Day - [Vizag Gas Leak: Check Helplines, Emergency Shelters, Rescue Efforts]( - [10 GI Tagged Foods from the Northeast We Need in Our Kitchens]( - [Haryana Man Grows Mini Food Forest In 100 sq m Using Zero Chemicals!]( Do share this newsletter with all your friends and family on [Facebook]( [Twitter]( WhatsApp. And if you wish others to subscribe to The Better India's daily dose of positivity, do share [this URL]( with them. Thanks for reading! [Follow Us On: Facebook]( [Follow Us On: Twitter]( [Follow Us On: Instagram]( [Latest Updates: The Better India]( Copyright © 2020 The Better India, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted for it at our website. Our mailing address is: The Better India The Better India Office 402, 4th Floor, Prestige Feroze 74, Cunningham RoadBangalore 560052 India [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing]( [Follow Us On: Facebook]( [Follow Us On: Twitter]( [Follow Us On: Instagram]( [Latest Updates: The Better India](