Bengaluru: For Abhishek Kumar, life was indeed a bed of roses. 

He was working as a project manager in an MNC in Mumbai and was getting paid handsomely. Yet, he was not a satisfied man. Though on the professional front, he was doing well, there was something lacking in him. 

That is when he decided to go back to his village, Barauli and pursue farming. 

It is also interesting to note that Abhishek’s interaction with security guards posted at his office also had a great impact on him. The guards used to stay hundreds of kilometres away from their native places and were not happy about it. So Abhishek yearned to return home and take up farming. 

However, his family was not supportive of him. They were of the opinion that he should not quit his job – a high paying-one at that – and invest time in farming. 

But a persevering Abhishek managed to convince his father and took up farming. 

He says, “In 2011 I came to the village. At first, my decision was opposed by the family. The family members said that it is not right to leave a good job and return to the village. The people of the village joked that he had come to do agriculture, but I had decided. I asked my father to give me a chance, then what happens after that will be my responsibility.”

In the initial years, he planted Gerbera flowers at a cost of Rs one lakh. It earned Rs four lakh in the first year itself. After this, he started cultivating dozens of crops like lemon grass, Rajnigandha, mushroom, vegetables and wheat.

But it was not as if everything was available to him on a platter. He had to struggle hard. And he did. Now, he cultivates crops on a 20-acre land and has a turnover of Rs 25 lakh a year.