In the post liberalized global economy, the marginal
farmers of Kerala find it too difficult to sustain with farming as a source of
income. Since late 90s marginal farming largely
became non profitable. In the current free market oriented agriculture, for a
small scale farmer to engage in it, is quite a challenge. And we did see a lot
of them giving up; as per the official data, 979 peasants committed suicide in Kerala
between the years 2003 and 2007.
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This young man Romeo along with his father Keerthi
Chandran, decided to engage with the market reality, instead. In the peak of a
successful career as a yoga trainer in the Middle East, he quit his job,
wanting to create, a platform for him and his family to be together and engage
in their own expertise. He envisaged it as a space to add value to their farm produce and thus engage with the existing market
The result is Kanthari, I should say, the ever evolving Kanthari.
If you ask me what Kanthari is, I do not have a one word answer. It is a farm, a garden,
an amusement park, a training centre, a meeting space, a resort, a local produce
shop and importantly a wonderful eatery (least important as per Romeo). It is in Karikandanpara, near Koorachundu in Calicut, Kerala.
Many of the elements at Kanthari for sure have more standard
popular parallels. But what makes this venture unique is that it remains to be
an evolving experiment of a local farming family. Examples to this are umpteen at Kanthari. To start with, the
ropeway, designed and engineered by Romeo, stands apart from the industry
models for its simplicity.
What propels it, would tell you a lot about the
genuineness in the experiment. The engine is exposed and is nothing
complicated, but an old Bajaj Caliber 100 CC motorbike. “Copy Lefted” as they
call it these days!!!
Then comes the rifle. The target, would take you back to
your childhood and trust me, as an experience, it feels much better than
shooting at a bull’s-eye.
What waited across the ‘’wonder cave” was
quite exciting. Defined as a social space, there is a carom board which offers
you fun as you take some minutes to rest and refresh.
At the end of the exploration, the best part still awaits
you-The restaurant. Nobody is in a hurry here. To the background of a soothing live flute
recital, sipping a cup of cardamom tea, Romeo, sat with us to share his vision
of Kanthari. To our company, he held in his hand, his one month old baby girl, trying
to put her to sleep. The line between personal life and professional life is
too narrow here, if at all there is any. Simply put, Romeo and his family is
living Kanthari.
The Kappa Biriyani and Puttu Biriyani here is a must try.
It packs within it all the goodness and love of this little village.
The Beef Fry is one of the best, if not, the
best ever I have eaten. What makes it so special is the time tested recipe of
Romeo’s mother.
Kanthari, as a concept becomes so unique, as you get to
know that it is not conceived as a tourist destination, but a space for the
locals to spend their holidays. Romeo is in no hurry to boost his customer base
in multitudes. He wants to deliver quality experience to the people who come there,
as he knows his limits. The restaurant, according to him is a little element in
the whole larger concept.
We jumped on to an opportunity which came our way to play
some volleyball with the local boys.
Kanthari, is the Malayalam name of Bird's eye chilli,
which is one of the hottest chilies in the world. The heat of this chilli comes
slow on the throat, but then when you start feeling it, it’s really HOT. Romeo’s
Kanthari is too like that, adding on bit by bit in features, to finally
converge into a meaningful space. I know it will; I made a suggestion on the
beef serving, and he said “:Consider it done”.
