Tenhipalam: Naduthodi Appunni, a 64-year-old goods autorickshaw driver, has carved out remarkable success as a farmer by cultivating bottle gourds three times a year  by setting up a permanent pandal. Alongside bottle gourd, he also grows banana, bitter gourd and taro and maintains over 80 areca palms on his farm.

In addition to farming, Appunni spends most evenings casting his net in the Kadalundi sea. He has been working as a goods autorickshaw driver in Chelari since 2003, though he has now paused operations to devote more time to cultivation.

Appunni says that this season alone, he has harvested over one tonne of bottle gourd. Reaching his farm by 7 AM every day and returning only by 1 PM, he manages the entire farming work by himself, supported strongly by his wife and two daughters.