By : Sathish Kapikad
Mangalore / Udupi : Chandrakantha Rao who owns Prakruti Fruit Farm in Udupi district loves his home land deeply said, he should return at least something to the place which given him abundant.
He being the first rank holder at NITK Suratkal in mechanical engineering could have settled in any part of the globe if the company’s where he has worked is taken to consideration.
In order to find an answer to his query – Innadinda ellige? Which meant Where to from Inna? which had bothered him the most, the surroundings of Prakruti Fruit Farm today is a resultant answer.
He has drawn the attention of all to this quiet village Inna. This top class farm is incomplete without a farmhouse, hence a Thai designed farmhouse with teak (green teak of 32 to 35 years old) imported from Thailand. A small team from Thailand and a team of 12 local carpenters and 12 craftsmen all together carried this project to complete it over a span of almost six months. The cost incurred to build this beautiful house is Rs one crore. The name ‘Su Kantha i’ (Sukanthai Cottage), is derived from Supriya and Chandrakantha (‘Su’ and ‘Kantha’) couple and ‘I’ from Inna, suits perfectly, and even sounds Thai.
Chandrakantha Rao has exhibited his love for his motherland in the form of his trust ABCD and E (Advaitha Bharathiya Community Development and Education). He is extending his aid annually towards the education of 600-700 students in one form or the other. He has also developed a fruit farm to meet the monetary expenses of these students.
Conversing with the media at the cottage, Chandrakantha Rao said, he wants students to learn English from Kannada. Hence he teaches them English by holding special tutorials and these courses along with free science and mathematics tutorials and computers are implemented in four Kannada medium high schools (Inna, Palimar, Belman and Kedinje).
Rich varieties of fruits grown in this farm are also a special feature. Nearly 90% of the income derived from the farm is given for the ABC & E Trust for social service, said Chandrakantha Rao.
He has also devised another source of income to support his noble cause. A party space for about 250-350 members with a lawn of 8000 sq ft along with all the needed facilities with an arm of river Shambavi flowing close by which is well suited to organize a party or function.