Booming bamboo

FARMING

Among Moodbidri’s many attractions is Soans Farm, spread over 100 acres. The farm, run by internationally renowned agricultural scientist L C Soans and his family, is home to 42 varieties of bamboo. What’s more, the farm is also home to exotic varieties of fruits. Ronald Anil Fernandes visits the farm.

Moodbidri, an important Jain pilgrim centre, also known as ‘Jain-Kashi of South India’, has several places of interest. Be it the thousand-pillared Chandranatha basadi, Shobavana, which has more than 3,500 medicinal plants, Chowta Palace, (residence of the ancient royal family which ruled the area), Kodinje Kallu, which are twin rocks about 346 metres above sea-level, Kadalakere Nisargadhama, which hosts the annual Koti Chennaiah Kambala or Soans Farm spread over 100 acres. Every place here has a long history and is full of wonderful tales. In fact, Moodbidri witnessed an unprecedented growth between the 14th and 16th century as a centre of religion, culture, art and architecture.

Incidentally, Moodbidri, located about 35 km from Mangalore, derives its name from the bamboo thickets that thrived in the region. While ‘mooda’ means east, ‘bidiru’ means ‘bamboo,’ hence the name Moodbidri.

Though Moodbidri has been known for bamboo, the credit of retaining the tag goes to Soans Farm, which has not only nurtured bamboo from all over the world, but attracts many foreigners to visit and study varieties of bamboo in one single place.

Many varieties

Speaking to Spectrum, 63-year-old Irwin V Soans, the younger brother of 78-year-old Lingston C Soans, an internationally renowned agricultural scientist, said that the Soans Farm has 42 varieties of bamboo out of which 27 varieties have been identified and 14 are yet to be identified. Soans Farm has every variety of bamboo from the Andamans to North Eastern States and Burma, South America and Africa. You name it and Soans has it! Incidentally, Soans Farm has 78 types of crops and bamboo is only one among 78 crops. A stroll in the Soans Farm, spread over 100 acres, opens a fascinating world of bamboos.
Soans Farm has reserved half an acre and another three-fourth acre exclusively for developing various types of bamboo from many parts of the world at two separate locations in the farm.

Just as every variety of bamboo has different shapes, sizes and patterns of growing, every variety has a different use too. It is a general notion that bamboo is used in the construction industry (cottages), handicrafts, for ornamental purposes or furniture. But a visit and chat with Soans brothers unravels the fascinating world of bamboos.

While the Assam / Meghalaya / West Bengal variety of bamboo is used in house construction, scaffoldings, ladders, incense sticks and paper pulp; the Orissa and other NE states variety is mainly used for making baskets, crafts and ornaments; the Sri Lankan and South Indian variety is used for fencing, thatching and harvesting poles.
On the other hand, the Burma variety (thyrsostachys oliverii) is used in construction, reinforcement in concrete, javelin poles, fishing rods and handicrafts. The South American (Costa Rica) variety (guadua angustifolia) is so strong that it resists splitting when nails are used, informs Soans.

Gigantochloa atroviolacia (West Java) variety is used in making flutes while dendrocalamus giganteus (Bengal / North East / Himalayas) variety is used in making boat masts, buckets and the shoot is edible too, says Soans and adds that this variety grows very tall, up to 35 meters. Another variety, dendrocalamus hamiltoni, grown in the same region is used for making rafts and in the construction industry.

Bambusa wamin, a variety grown in China and Thailand is also nicknamed ‘Buddha’s belly,’ as it looks like one. The main use of this variety is in making ornaments and handicrafts.

An interesting aspect of bamboo is that the shoots grow about 80 feet in two months, which means that it grows more than a feet a day! And the tender bamboo slice (also known as kanile in local language) is quite tasty too.

Only private player

Though a few varieties of bamboo are grown in Karnataka (Gonikoppa in Kodagu district) and Kerala, in both the states, a majority of the bamboo trees are in government owned land. Soans Farm is perhaps the only farm in South India to have such a large variety of bamboos in such a large area.

But Soans points out that the rules are so stringent in Karnataka that permission is required for all bamboo-related activities, from cutting them to transporting them. Citing an example, he said that last year, he had to spend nearly Rs 5,000 to cut 200 bamboo trees (for seeking permission, transportation, labour, etc).

Regular European visitors

Soans Farm not only attracts localites from in and around the region, but also people from abroad.

A large number of foreigners visit Soans Farm quite often as Soans Farm is a permanent visiting spot for any visitors who arrive on cruise vessels. The 1000-pillared Jain temple, Gokarnanatha temple, St Aloysius Chapel, Kadri temple and Cashew factory are among attractions.

Last year alone, nearly 20 cruise vessels arrived at Mangalore carrying tourists from around the world, mostly from the US, UK, Germany and other European countries. “As many as 150 to over 500 foreigners visit the farm at a time,” says L C Soans. As a localite puts it, “L C Soans has put Moodbidri and Soans Farm on the world map and perhaps foreigners know Soans and his value better than the Indians!”