
Apart from this he also keeps researching on herbs which can cure various diseases and spreads his knowledge for free.
Gafarbhai was just a 14-year-old when his father passed away. His father, a small farmer from Ramdechi (Gir) of Junagarh district of Gujarat, had four acres of land, a well and 50 plants.
“We have always seen our father feed others first and then himself. There were farmers who would wonder why he takes so much pain to fetch water from his well and distribute among others. He would answer them by saying that he is not giving the water to people but their plants. He always believed and made us believe too that only if we take care of the plants’ well being, they will take care of ours,” says Gafarbhai.
After his father’s death, Gafarbhai made it a point to grow more and more plants. He did traditional farming along with plantations of various kinds until he met Prof. Anil Gupta from IIMA – who initiated the idea of a ‘Shodh Yatra’.
Gafarbhai Qureshi
The first Shodh Yatra –

The first Journey (Gir to Gadhada Shodh yatra):
“We had started two types of the yatra, one on foot and the other of the mind. The yatra on foot ends after a certain time, but the yatra of the mind continues forever,” he says.
Gafarbhai fondly shares some delightful memories of the first Shodh yatra – 
“During the Shodh Yatra, marchers walked for 16 Kms to 40 Kms per day. In the first Shodh yatra between Gir to Gadhada we saw a 225-year-old Neem tree at Thordi, near Babapur village in Amreli district,” he says.
“The villagers were super excited when the database information was exhibited to them on a computer. Moreover, overhead projectors were used to show them various new methods and all of these activities were recorded on the video,” he informed.
So far Gafarbhai has completed 40 such Shodh Yatras and covered 19 states of India.
Through the yatra, he has gathered 5200 varieties of plants, trees and herbs and planted them in his nursery – Qureshi Baug and Nursery. He claims to have studied six crore plants, trees and herbs so far in the last 20 years.
He also grows organic Kesar mangoes on his 10-acre land which has a massive demand in the national and international market.
Apart from this he also keeps researching on herbs which can cure various diseases and spreads his knowledge for free.
So far Gafarbhai has trained nearly 10,000 farmers and more than 20,000 students who visit his nursery every day.
“See once I die, my knowledge will also die with me. But if I spread my knowledge, it will remain immortal. Like you are writing about me…this will remain forever even after we isn’t it? So I make sure I give out my knowledge to the next generation, and their learning is my fees,” he says humbly.
He treats the 25 labours working at his nursery as a family too and takes care of their food, clothing and even education of their children too. 
Gafarbhai, who has been awarded as ‘Ayurved Ratna’ by the government of India for his research on medicinal herbs, urges farmers to preserve their heritage and strive for quality and not quantity.
“See the world market has enough production. What they are looking for is quality and not quantity. Our farmers have to understand this key and start farming organically and supply the best quality products. I am happy that the change has begun and I will continue doing my Shodh Yatras until every farmer of our country understands this,” concludes Gafarbhai.
You can contact Gaffarbhai Qureshi on 8049675721 or 9426465358
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