Listen to the article titled “Remembering Nel Jayaraman”It must have been eight years ago I was at Thiruvarur to attend the Nel Thiruvizha (seed festival) organised by Jayaraman.I went there to volunteer; I’d heard about him from organic farming pioneer G. Nammalvar and wanted to see if we could bring the varieties Jayaraman revived, to the market.It was just a small affair then; some people attended. But the festival grew exponentially from then on; from 500, the number of participants went up to 1,500 next year; and then to 2,500, 5,000… there was no looking back. When I entered the village Adhirangam where the festival took place, I saw men carrying sacks of paddy, they came with five kilograms and returned with 10 kilograms the next year. That was how the seed exchange work.I remember how Jayaraman cycled across villages to find traditional paddy seeds and distribute them. I asked him how he planned to carry his vision forward; what would he do for funds/ But he replied, “What do I need funds for ? I have seeds and my cycle will take me to everywhere. Or I’ll take a bus”.If people called him asking for his number of varieties of seeds, he went directly to see to it – that they got what they wanted. I participated in the planning of his seed festivals.But the man didn’t believe I going by a strict plan. He was always cool when those around him panicked. For instance, if I told him there were many people coming for the event and that we i had to pain for meals and plates, he would respond unfettered, “Thambi, it’ll fall in place. If i there is no plates we can buy banana leaves; if there’s no food. We can cook and serve rice, we have it in plenty, don’t we?”What if the sound system doesn’t work, I insisted and he said.’Then we might have to speak louder”. I joked that I would refuse to come for planning meetings, because anyway, he didn’t need them. On a serious note, all the festivals he organised went on smoothly, like he believed. During floods or droughts , he took the collector of Nagapattinam to show him how our traditional paddy withstood the forces of Nature.He visited collectorates to submit petitions against genetically modified crops whenever he encountered them. Later in life, when his popularity grew, he spent more time in the field; but that’s where his heart was. Hundreds of people called me from India and abroad, enquiring about his health during his final days. He showed that if you worked selflessly for the society, it will give back.Student A: (interviewer) – Vanakkam sir. For what cause do you organise festivals ?Student B : ( NJ) – I organise these festivals with a difference. I present seeds to all the 1 participating farmers.Student A: (interviewer) – Oh ! That’s really good, Sir. What do you expect in return?Student B : (NJ) – In return I expect them to have double the harvest next year.Student A: (interviewer) – Where did you organise the NEL festival?Student B:(NJ) – (1) …………Student A: (interviewer) – Can you mention how many people congregated for the meeting?Student B : (NJ) – (2) ………Student A: (interviewer) – What did you distribute to the farmers?Student B : (NJ) – (3) ………Student A: (interviewer) – How did you commute to each of these villages?Student B : (NJ) – (4) ………Student A: (interviewer) – Ayya, Do you plan your schedules?Student B : ( NJ) (5) ………Student B : ( NJ) – 1 have an alternative (6) ………Student A: (interviewer) – Where was your heart and soul?Student B : (NJ) – (7) ………Student A: (interviewer) – People say when your popularity grew, you spent less time in the field?Student B : (NJ) – (8) ………Student A : (interviewer) – What is your message to the world?Student B : (NJ) – (9) ………Student A: (interviewer) – Thank you, Sir. Nandri Student B : (NJ) – Nandri.