Cheruvayal Raman, the Padma Shri-winning tribal farmer who dedicated his life to saving traditional rice in Kerala, passed away on Wednesday while being treated at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, family sources said, according to a PTI report.Raman was popularly known for rescuing more than 45 native rice varieties that were close to disappearing as most people had stopped growing them, and he did it without fanfare, without a laboratory and without formal training.He also took a keen interest in caring for traditional vegetables, medicinal plants, and trees on his own land.
Who was Cheruvayal Raman, the farmer who guarded Wayanad’s rice seeds
Cheruvayal Raman, the Padma Shri-winning tribal farmer who spent his life protecting traditional rice in Kerala, was born on 6 June 1952 as Thalakkara Cheriya Raman and came from the Kurichya tribal community. He lived in Kammanam, near Mananthavady in Wayanad.He turned to farming as a full-time role at the age of 10, after finishing primary school, and even refused a government job at the Kannur DMO office in 1969, such was his dedication to farming.
How did he keep the disappearing varieties of rice seeds alive?
Raman protected more than 45 native rice varieties that were close to disappearing, and also looked after traditional vegetables, medicinal plants and many kinds of trees on his farm. He left the harvested crop in sunlight and dew for a week, then stored the seeds in heated bamboo containers and straw baskets. This helped the seeds stay able to sprout for up to two years.
Raman chose to share the seeds instead of selling them
Raman also ran a seed-exchange system for fellow farmers. As PTI explains, people who took seeds from him did not pay in money; they simply returned the same amount after the next season and firmly opposed treating seeds as a commercial commodity.He had no formal training in botany or agricultural science, depending instead on knowledge handed down through generations and his own experience.
Raman also had many accolades to his name
In 2011, Raman represented Kerala’s farmers at an international biodiversity conservation conference in Hyderabad involving 11 countries. He received the Padma Shri in 2023, and earlier won the National Plant Genome Saviour Award in 2016. He was also chosen for the first Oommen Chandy Memorial Agricultural Award, announced by Agriculture Minister T Siddique on 9 August 2026, which carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh.Chief Minister V D Satheesan paid tribute, calling Raman a guardian of Wayanad’s agricultural heritage. According to PTI, Satheesan said, “Through his life, he showed the world that farming was not merely a means of livelihood but also a responsibility towards the soil and nature.” The Chief Minister added that Raman’s death was an irreparable loss, and that keeping alive the hope in the seeds he protected would be the finest tribute.
