Arvind, a family member of BGE was born on 11.11.1967. He pursued his education in schools and colleges in different cities of Karnataka like Chikmagalur, Bangalore and Mysore. From a very early age, he wanted to accomplish something on his own and carve a niche for himself in the society, not just for wealth but also by working towards the common good.
While pursuing Law in Bangalore he along with one of his friend started a business with Karnataka Small Scale Industries Marketing Corporation for sometime. He then completed his education by graduating in Law, although his heart longed to experiment and revolutionize in agriculture which always have been the back bone of his family. He returned home determined to cultivate something new and interesting on his own. This urge was fueled by an article in Times of India on Aromatic and Medicinal plants.
As his first agricultural venture, he established aromatic and medicinal plantation in Boothankad Estate specially Patchouli which was in great demand world wide for its use in aromatherapy, perfumery, cosmetics, incense stick production and food flavouring industries. He started this with an investment of Rs 6000/- earned from his previous business venture. Although, he struggled to market Patchouli, he pushed his dreams without letting any hurdles stop him, by establishing Patchouli nursery and processing unit utilising the resources from Patchouli plantation. The saplings and processed essentials of Patchouli were marketed through out India by affiliating with a company by name S H Kelkar and Company Limited. After succeeding in this he moved to Jatropha which is used to extract bio-fuel, in association with Chaparalla LLC – a US based company to distribute free seeds of Jatropha all over Chikmagalur district in order to establish and develop Jatropha plantation all over the district.
Rewarded with great success and appreciation in aromatic plantation his attention was drawn towards Organic farming because of his immense environmental consciousness. He realised the immediate need to adopt organic practices which are self-reliant, cost effective and eco-friendly to replace chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides which are dominant in today’s world.
Eventually, he started producing organic inputs and its different variants to cater the need of innumerable variety of crops grown in Boothankad Group of Estates. Each such product followed his unique natural methods by utilizing the agricultural and animal wastes available in BGE to the fullest. Initially, the organic inputs produced were only self sufficient for use in BGE. But, soon with its popularity and demand among fellow agriculturists the production was increased and marketed under the brand name HASIRU.
“HASIRU is a product by an agriculturist tested and appreciated by agriculturists”
Thus, Hasiru Organics came into existence in 2001 which is the most trusted organic manure manufacturers in India. The products are manufactured with utmost care and sincerity keeping the quality standards high. Since then till date the products have been marketed directly to customers from the manufacturing unit without the intervention of middlemen or agents and thus being a manufacturer of non profit motive.
In his decisive attempt to improvise agricultural practises, he set up a laboratory to produce Trichoderma in order to improve the soil health which lacked the presence of these fungi due to the extensive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. This was a first of its kind laboratory set up in Karnataka to develop and produce Trichoderma. His laboratory has been a training ground for many, interested in knowing the benefits of Trichoderma and developing these fungi. His attempt has been recognised and appreciated by many in spreading the awareness about these eco-friendly fungi. Along with this he started growing Azolla in large quantities and experimented on various crops and also in the organic inputs which resulted in exceptionally good results.
Being an entrepreneur he has made a substantial contribution to the society by motivating rural youth in intensifying agriculture by adopting scientific and sustainable agricultural practices. He is the most popular and most sought-after resource person to be invited in various conferences, educational institutions, agricultural and horticultural departments to impart his knowledge and his journey towards a successful entrepreneurship. He has also provided employment opportunities to innumerable number of people and encourages small farmers with his continued guidance and assistance. With his simplicity, humbleness and service mindedness he is loved and appreciated by all classes of people in the society.
