Having grown up among greenery and farms, Sureshchandra Patel always wanted to build a house on the farmland he had in Valsad, Gujarat.

Passionate about gardening and farming, the engineer embarked on a post-retirement project to build a house and a farm on his three-bigha land.

After moving in, he planted mango trees with varieties like Alphonso, Kesar, and Amrapali. He also grows fruits and berries like green apples and dragon fruits.

He also grows other ornamental plants like Bonsai and adenium (desert rose), which he distributes to the villagers.

At 70, he keeps himself active by watering plants, digging soil, and planting more trees. He manages the entire farm of 8,000 plants all by himself.

“I grew up on a farm. I’ve used the shovel and spade since I was a child. I loved that life, and I’m grateful that I’m reliving it,” he says.

Out in the farmland, Sureshchandra follows a method for his gardening. He has built a road and planted different plants on both sides of it.

While in some places, the plants are in a perfect circle, the farm has different structures as per the needs of the plants. For instance, he built a polyhouse for his adeniums.

Today, he and his family are enjoying a pollution-free life amidst greenery at a time when people are increasingly moving to cities.

They eat everything that is grown on their farm, as they are organically grown using vermicompost.