Steering clear of the beaten track, a graduate from IIM, Ahmedabad, has chosen to sell vegetables on the streets of Patna to fulfill his career dream.

“I want vegetables grown in Bihar on dining tables everywhere — from Srinagar to Salem and from Shillong to Surat,” says Kaushalendra. “

Twenty Seven year old Kaushalendra, son of a college demonstrator in the nondescript block town of Ekangarsarai in Nalanda district has a dream to build Bihar into the vegetable hub of the country.

Perhaps the most highly educated green grocer India has ever produced, this young man from Nalanda has founded a farmers’ cooperative, Samriddhi, which sells vegetables in ice-cooled pushcarts.  Nearly 300 farmers have associated themselves with Samriddhi.

The private-public partnership venture, launched about a couple of months ago with assistance from Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) with just one pushcart, has now placed an order for 50 more carts, thanks to a collateral-free loan of Rs 50 lakh from Punjab National Bank.

The ice-cooled pushcart vegetables are a hit with customers in parts of southern Patna. “The vegetables taste garden fresh, are priced reasonably and, to add to that, they are weighed accurately with electronic weighing machines. Moreover, the pushcart vendor gives the buyers a cash-memo which no other vegetable seller does, as further authentication of the quality and quantity of the vegetables.

ATMA, a government undertaking, is training these farmers in matters relating to high-yield seeds and crop protection.  The aim is to propagate organic farming and use expertise in marketing to reach the markets not only in India but also abroad so that the farmers of Bihar fetch good return for their produce.  In five years the target is to penetrate the vegetable markets in the US, Europe and Japan,” 

“I am not only selling vegetables, but also the name of the farmer and the village where it has been grown. The farmer should not remain an unsung hero anymore,” he says pointing at the tag on the vegetables which has the mention of the name of the farmer and his village.

“One day,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes, “we will be able to build Bihar into a brand… the largest selling brand in horticulture.”

Asked about the initial reaction of his family to the idea of their highly qualified son foregoing a lucrative career in the corporate world and opting for an uncertain future, Kaushalendra said, “They were shocked but were later reconciled… now they seem happy that I am trying to do something that would benefit hundreds and thousands of farmers of Bihar.”

Asked to comment on the job offers he had, the self-effacing IIM graduate said, “I did not opt for the placement process. So, in that sense, I had none. I saw the farmers of my vegetable-growing village eke out a living by the sweat of their brow and then watch with abject resignation the fruits of their toil rot during the floods. I always dreamt of doing something for them and I am just chasing that dream,” Kaushalendra says.

Source: Indian Express