What is PERIYAAR?

Periyaar is the name of my organic farm.

Am I a follower of Thanthai Periyaar (தந்தை பெரியார்)? No. Then, Why "Periyaar"?

Periyaar is a Thamizh word (பெரியார்) which comes from Periyor (பெரியோர்) which means elders or wise people. This name aptly conveys my belief that our ancestors' way of life in all respects is the best. 

To know what it was like then, one has to travel back in time to 800 BC. That's when Chozhargal brought in several Aryan families. Next, Muslims invaded us. Finally, Europeans. Major damage was caused by Britishers. They impoverished us mentally. This is still evident now. People still link English to intelligence. If somebody speaks English fluently then he should be an intelligent person, educated person, etc., What could be more idiotic than this?

Our ancestors' lives were centered on farming which is my livelihood now. This is another reason for the name Periyaar.

In Sanskrit, equivalent word for Periyaar is Devas. There are 33 crores Devas taking care of so many aspects of our lives. Usually, people think that such Devas live in the upper worlds. They are wrong. We know some Devas - Sun, Moon, Wind (Vaayu), Rain (Varunan), etc., Just dig a little deep. You will realize that majority of the Devas are nothing but microbes!!

You must have heard about the Gomaathaa (கோ-மாதா). Cow is supposed to be a sacred animal. All the major Devas live inside her. Her rear is supposed to be the dwelling place of Goddess Lakshmi. Well, that is where cow dung comes out. In a gram of cow dung millions of microbes lives. They are the majority of the Devas. When applied to the field, these microbes enrich soil. Plants grow well. When plants grow well, money flows in well. Money is another name for Goddess Lakshmi!! 

In fact, life goes on in Earth because of microbes (ie. Devas). Without them nothing grows. Without them nothing decomposes. This is ancient knowledge. They were considered sacred. Hence, they were called as Devas. Our ancestors knew this fact several millenniums ago. I believe West rediscovered this fact during their Renaissance period. This period equals colonization period. You can imagine the rest.

Coming back to microbes. Entire farming, especially organic methods, is dependent on microbes. Hence  the respect for them. Hence the name. 

You can see four major microbes behind the letters in the header image. Bacteria behind "PE". Actinomycetes behind "RI". Algae behind "YA". Fungi behind "AR".

The last reason is the reformist Thanthai Periyaar (தந்தை பெரியார்) himself. Though I am a semi-Aryan, I consider him to be the greatest social reformer after Lord Gauthama Buddhaa. We all owe it to him for the liberties we enjoy now. What would he do now if he were alive? Of course, he would be fighting for those against whom he revolted earlier.

Now for the colors in the image.

Sky Blue of the box surrounding the letters, represents the 1st element Space (வானம்). Background of the letters PE are in black & grey representing Air, 2nd element in the creation (காற்று). Background of the letters RI are in red & yellow representing Fire, 3rd element (நெருப்பு). Background of the letters YA are in blue & green representing Water, 4th element (நீர்). The last element, Earth (மண்), is represented in brown by the background of the letters AR.

These five colors represent the five basic elements (Pancha Bhoothaas, பஞ்ச பூதங்கள்). Everything comes from these elements. Everything in dissolution goes back to these elements.

The background is a charcoal image. This represents an agro-forest which is how my field is going to look in the future.

The catchwords, "Not just an Organic Farm. It is THE way of life.", highlight the importance of farming. Farming is the base for a self-sustained life. If one approaches farming with this as a motive, it will be a success. Any other approach, like money, under the current scenario will surely result in disaster.

Where is it located?

View Periyaar in a larger map

It is about 110 kms from Chennai. From Vennaangupattu stop on ECR, it is about 10 kms.

Coming from Chennai:

- When you come from Chennai, take a left-turn at Mathuraanthagam. Ask for the road that leads to Vennaangupattu (வெண்ணாங்குபட்டு). 

- At Puththirankottai (புத்திரன்கோட்டை), you will notice an IOC petrol station. Once you cross it, take a left turn.

- After about 4 kms, you will encounter a fork. Take the left road. You should see  a mobile phone tower.

- After about 1 km, you will see a T joint. Turn right here.

- After about 300 mtrs, you will see a farm gate on the right side with a name plaque "Sheera Sagar". Immediately after that building, there is a mud road. Turn right and take that road.

- Drive another 200 mtrs or so. On the right side, you will see a defunct solar fence.

- You have reached Periyaar.

Coming from southern towns like Thindivanam, Thiruchchi, etc.,:

- At Melmaruvaththoor (மேல்மருவத்தூர்), take the service road. Take right turn under the flyover. At the end of that road, take left turn. Within few meters, you will see a road on the right. Take that.

- After about 6 kms you will encounter Chiththaamoor (சித்தாமூர்) junction. Take right turn.

- Then follow the instructions from the second point from above.

Coming from ECR Vennaangupattu (வெண்ணாங்குபட்டு):

- Take the Vennaangupattu - Mathuraanthagam road. Drive for about 5 kms. Look for a big banyan tree on your right. Take right turn here. You should see a pond on your left. This pond is supposed to be sacred. People don't pollute this pond. Water from this pond is used for all rituals in the near by Sivan temple.

- If you happen to miss the banyan tree, you will notice a Sivan temple on your right. If you see it, take U turn. Drive for about 100 mtrs. On your left you will see the banyan tree.

- After about 2 kms, you will see a sign board "Lazy Acres" or "Breeze Way". Take left turn.

- Drive as the road unwinds. After about 1 km, you see a EB transformer on your left. After a few meters from that transformer, you will encounter a T joint. You may miss it. In which case, you will see a farm gate with a name plaque "Sheera Sagar". If you see it, take U turn and look for the T joint.

- At that T joint, take left turn and you will be on a mud road.

- Drive another 200 mtrs or so. On the right side, you will see a defunct solar fence.

- You have reached Periyaar.

What do I do?

At present, we grow coconuts & mangoes. Several fruit trees like Guava, Sappottaa, Jackfruit, Naaval (நாவல்), 3 or 4 varieties of Gooseberries (நெல்லிக்காய்), 3 varieties of Lemons, Lime and Oranges have been planted recently as intercrops.

This may sound very simple. But, I assure you, it is not. Especially for a city-bred absentee-owner adhering to moral principles (Nyaayaam நியாயம், Dharmam தர்மம்). Nowadays, even a seasoned, mean & full time farm owner finds it difficult to elicit proper work from a single worker. You can imagine my situation. With these limitations what I have managed to achieve needs special eyes to evaluate.

We follow "No Tillage". The farm hasn't been tilled for more than 4 years now. This is the only farm from the surrounding villages that follows this principle.

In fact, we follow all the 4 principles of the great Masanobu Fukuoka: No Tillage, No Chemical Fertilizers or prepared Compost, No Weeding or Herbicides, No Dependence on chemicals.

Can Periyaar be called a Do-Nothing farm? Well, the term "Do-Nothing" is a misnomer. It requires lot of work till the farm matures.

Can Periyaar be called a Natural farm? No. The moment you introduce a new plant, Nature is disturbed. It is no longer a natural farm. Only pristine pure forests untouched by human beings can be called as such.

Well, we introduce plants. Then, we rely on Mother Nature to foster them. We just assist her in her fosterage thinking stupidly that she needs our help.

What do I intend to achieve?

In 2 words: Self-Realization (மெய்ஞானம்) and Self-Reliant (சுயசார்பு) Lifestyle.

Without the grand goal of Self-realization, Self-reliant lifestyle will not become sustainable in the long term. Till you get experience, till you get hold of the nuances, this life style may intrigue you. Once you become self-reliant, you will not know what to do with your spare time. It is most likely that you will fall back into the abyss somewhat willingly.

If that is so about self-reliant lifestyle, one may ask about self-realization too: "What will I do once I realize my self?". Annaamalai Swaamigal, a staunch devotee of Bhagavaan Ramanaa, says, "Once you realize your Self, some other power takes over you. You are no longer in control." So, after realization, you cannot DO, you can JUST BE.

Now, when it comes to self-reliance, people normally assume Food, Clothing, Shelter & Energy. I would like to add Medicines, Education & Self-defense to this list. 

Since the eco-system is so spoilt, we cannot do without medicines. 

Without learning, one cannot know about Food, Clothing, etc., That itself is education. When I list Education separately, I mean Language (for communication - Mother Tongue for everything & English for communicating with non-locals), Values (Live & Let Live), Scientific thinking (instead of just belief which promotes stupidity), Mathematics (just the basics will do), Astrology (again basics will do, this is to realize the truth that we have no control over the events that unfold before us), Sociology (this is a must; as long as one inhabits a body one should know how other bodies behave) and, finally, Knowledge about the Non-dual Self.

Since the values Nyaayam (நியாயம்) & Dharmam (தர்மம்) have been relegated to the lowest position and since strength rules the roost now, self-defense is a must.

I would like to cover each and every category as comprehensive as possible but in a simple way. When I say 'cover', I mean reporting after experiencing it first hand.

I want Periyaar to be like self-motor in the automobiles, like diving board in the pools, like Wikipedia in the Net.