Archana's dream come true: Myharvest

- Nowadays-Preeti Shah

- Archana and Kalidos Stalin felt that healthy and chemical-free foods could be provided to the people if farmed on a large area

Stalin of Arch is a young woman made of a different clay. Archana holds a bachelor's degree in geoinformatics from Gindi's College of Engineering in Chennai. As soon as the study was over, she married Kalidos, who was studying with her, amidst family opposition. Three years later, in 2013, he set up a company called GeoVarge in Stalin's hometown of Virudhnagar in southern Tamil Nadu. The company, which started with an investment of Rs 1 lakh, took a good amount of money from friends and family members in addition to its own savings, but had to close down after two years of losses.

Joined Nativeweed Foundation in Madurai in 2013. The foundation promotes entrepreneurs in small towns in Tamil Nadu. In the same year, Archana went on a fifteen-day Jagruti Yatra and found fifteen role models whom she had read about in twelve Indian states. From it he learned a lot, got original ideas. He left Nativlid in 2013 and joined the Natural Salon in Chennai as Chairman of Marketing.

She wanted to start her own organic farming business, so in a year and a half, she left the Natural Salon in 2012 to visit organic farmers and terrace gardening experts. In November 2016, he founded MyHearvest. Initially he helped people grow their own vegetables on the balconies and roofs of houses in the cities. He worked with schools. Created a school garden and imparted practical knowledge and training in floriculture. He sold gift boxes containing utensils, clay, and seeds.

Succeeding in the field of organic farming, Archana and Kalidos Stalin felt that if this farming was done on a large area, people could be given healthy and chemical-free food, so forty km from Chennai. He took two acres of land in Sembedu village of remote Thiruvallur district at a rent of Rs. 25,000 per annum. It was named Wembu Farm. Myharvest Farms was made a private limited company. For the first two years, he grew organic vegetables and sold them to five organic shops in Chennai. Growing, selling and storing crops was a daunting task for him, but he learned a lot in one year.

After six months of contemplation, he decided to create a community by bringing together both farmers and consumers. Started with a subscription model with eighteen families in Chennai. In this, each family has to become a member by paying three thousand rupees per month for the first three months. Thus raised capital and started delivery in a month and a half. Each week the subscribers were given ten kilos of vegetables, including eight to ten kinds of vegetables and two or three jute vegetables.

He joined other farmers in the state. Young farmers of 3-4 years who want to give new life to their land. They all wanted to build a strong model. Before the Kovid epidemic, buses were delivering as many as 60 vegetables and fruits to families. Not a single week went by during Kovid when the vegetables were not delivered. In this way he won the trust of the people. From April 2020, they adopted the cash-on-delivery model instead of the subscription model.

The family now demanded snacks made from oil, rice, millet in addition to vegetables, so they also started delivery of those items. Hosted a party at Wembo Farm. In which farmers and consumers met each other. About ninety families were involved. Most customers come to MyHarvest’s farm with the family on Sundays. Walks around the farm all day, showing children how to farm. Bathe them under the pump set and plan to enjoy a bullock cart ride.

In the first year 2016-17, the company's turnover has reached Rs 8 lakh, in the second year Rs 3 lakh and last year Rs 1 crore. Archana wants to reach ten thousand families and work with five hundred farmers in the next three years. She wanted to build a healthy community by bringing people closer to nature, which she was happy to achieve.

Ferrous Fayyad: Give us justice!

When Ferrous Fayyad was released from prison after eight months of unbearable torture, he did not know who to talk to about his suffering.

Fayyus Fayyad was born on September 19, 20, in a small village in Syria. Just sixty km from the Syrian city of Aleppo. Even in this remote village, it was very difficult to get basic amenities. Since electricity was not regularly available in the village, I had to spend many nights with gas lamps in my childhood, but as my father was a writer, the light of knowledge spread in the house.

Their fathers told the children the myths and legends of their culture. Fayyad's 'superhero' lived in his mind, but gradually chaos spread in Syria. To save the family from police brutality, Fayyad's father had to burn all the books in the house, as he was seen by the government as an opponent.

The civil war in Syria had begun, but his focus was on his studies. He was studying film making and documentary. He earned a BA degree in audio-visual arts at the International Film and Television School in Paris and then returned to Syria.

Worked in television for three years in Syria and then started making his own documentaries. In 2011, the Arab Spring reached Syria. A voice of liberation arose from the dimly lit society. Troubled by the Assad government's dictatorship, people took to the streets.

What better time and opportunity could there be for a documentary maker than this? Ferrous Fayyad began capturing the incident in his camera. Fayyad wanted to make a documentary of this historic moment on camera, but he had no idea what a horrible outcome this could have. The government was informed of the incident. Ferrous Fayyad was arrested. Endured many kinds of torture and ill-treatment in prison. He was also a victim of sexual harassment.

When Ferrous Fayyad was released from prison after eight months of unbearable torture, he did not know who to talk to about his suffering. In Syria, nothing could be said. The brutality of sexual harassment left her mentally broken. He had suicidal thoughts, but his wife kept giving him warmth and comfort. They then left Syria and reached Denmark via Jordan and Turkey. Stayed there as a refugee.

He quit filming. A year later, when Assad's government weakened in northern Syria, he returned to the village to meet with his family. During this time he met many people who were saving lives even in war. When Fayyad saw and heard everything, he realized how 'pure' these people are! He became so emotional that he immediately pulled out his camera and began to take pictures.

Ferrous Fayyad made his documentary first feature film 'Last Man in Aleppo'. Its protagonist is Khalid. Khalid was a house painter. He rescued hundreds of people trapped in a bombed-out house and eventually died. He made Khalid famous all over the world. She received several awards for this film and was also nominated for an Oscar. Thus Ferrous Fayyad was nominated as the first Syrian director at the Oscar Awards. Awarded 'Emmy' Award for 'Best Current Affairs Documentary'.

In his film 'The Cave', Dr. Ammani has shown the humanitarianism of Ballur. He saved many people from being attacked by two chemical weapons by running an underground hospital. Fayyad was also highly praised for this. It helps Syrian refugees financially. Even today, Khalid and Dr. Amani recalls Ballur saying that this real life hero revived the film-maker inside me. Through his films, he wants to send a message to the world that the Syrian people need not only peace, but also justice.