Like Fukuoka, Like Raghava! How A Davangere Farmer Lives Off The Grid, Rejects Plastics, Schools, And Supermarkets
In a remote Karnataka village, Raghava spins yarn on a charkha, grinds soapnuts, and walks barefoot into a farm that grows 70 varieties of fruits.
Published : May 30, 2025 at 5:37 PM IST
Davangere: When the world is crazy about adopting everything organic, from veggies to soaps, and pays a premium for anything that is ‘eco-friendly’, Raghava, a farmer from Davangere has created an organic world of his own. Green defines his existence and being natural, his mantra of life. As he walks into his backyard, amid the generous canopy of guava, jackfruit, and over 70 other fruit trees, his farm fields welcome him where he grows rice, pulses, herbs, vegetables and even cotton for his clothes. And his home - a model, built without cement or iron. His family cooks in clay pots, bathes with soapnut powder, and they abhor anything plastic. For Raghava, nature is the only requisite for a peaceful and complete living.
The name of his house ‘Aikantika’—meaning ‘one-of-a-kind’, is self-explanatory. His house is situated in Srinivas Nagar, Mallanayakanahalli, Harihar taluk in Davangere district and he lives there with his mother, wife and two children.
A follower of Japanese natural farming legend Masanobu Fukuoka, Raghava did not take time to reshape a world that lives in harmony with the earth. “We have everything we need. We do not harness the power of natural things that abound and adopt to western styles," says Raghava.
His farm is a tribute to Fukuoka. Adopting his 'do-nothing' method, he ensures minimal tilling, no chemicals and no monoculture in the one-acre plot. He grows coconut, rice, millets, root vegetables, greens, pulses, medicinal herbs, and more than 70 varieties of fruits, from exotic to local ones. And for the vegetables, he uses the square-foot model, which is applied for intensive vegetable gardening. Besides, he distributes indigenous seeds through a small community seed bank.
For his water needs, he has dug an open well. “For years we have been misutilising the soil. It is time to stop and the soil will heal itself. You just have to stop poisoning it,” Raghava says.
For his house, Raghava has used lime, clay, stone, and wood, all of which ensure that the house remains cool in summer and warm in winter. In their kitchen, cooking is done only with clay pots, while the floor cleaned with neem powder. In his quest for pure cotton, he started spinning his own yarn, on a hand-operated machine. The cloths spun are then stitched into clothes and sarees. And this he does not do alone. His family too supports the lifestyle Raghava has tried to adapt to.
Similarly, the family uses powdered reetha (shikakai/soapnut) for cleaning activities. "Bathing, dishwashing, and laundry are done with reetha nut or powder. Soaps and shampoos available in market are harmful for us because they have chemicals in it. Plus, after use when we throw the water, the chemicals seep into the earth,” he explains.
Both of Raghava's children learn as they experience life. They do not go to school rather Raghava teaches them farming, weaving, water conservation, food preservation, and herbal medicine. "I make them understand the realities of life and how being natural can help. I allow them to read and research. Only then can they explore. The goal isn’t to pass exams. They should know how to live well,” says the farmer, who is a part of a nationwide homeschooling network, which includes over 200 such families in Bengaluru alone.
Most importantly, the surplus from Aikantika is open for sale both locally and online. Customers form Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu wait to buy Raghava's farm-produced rice (black, red, brown, and fragrant Sugandhi) and vegetables. His black rice—once reserved for royalty, cultivated on his farm is most sought after by customers. “The black rice has immense value. Apart from its medicinal properties, the payasam (porridge) we make from it is delicious. I feel I do not need a salary to run my family when I have nature's bounty around me. I can feed my family and keep nature happy and green," he smiles.
Over the years, his research in rice varieties has made him wiser. “Each variety takes 2-3 years to understand and cultivate properly. And this is why the Sugandhi rice is a favorite for biryani lovers," says Raghava, who neither thinks about yields, nor frets over profits. All he needs is living naturally with just as much needed to survive.
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