History

We are a fifth-generation, family-owned farm located in the Karisalpatti Village near Sattur Town in Viridhunagar District in south Tamil Nadu. Shri. P. Sethuraman's grandfather bought an 1.75-acre property in 1925 in (what was then) the Tinnevelly District in Madras Presidency in British India. Thanks to Shri. P. Sethuraman's father, this tiny farm grew to nearly 30 acres by 1956. For most of the 20th century, the family headed by Shri. P. Sethuraman's elder brother Shri. P. Ramasamy thrived on what was grown on the farm along with the animals raised on the land. In 2015, Shri P. Sethuraman (pictured above in front of the shed during its construction) retired from Canara Bank after a successful 36-year career as a banker and returned to his farming roots. With predominantly black-cotton soil at the top with red soil/gravel underneath, farmers in our family have historically raised cotton, barley, maize, corn, black-gram, pigeon peas and sesame in rainwater-dependent fields, and tomato, red chili pepper, and vegetables in well-water-fed fields.    

Our ongoing efforts are focused on the following: (i) introduce mechanized farming, (ii) introduce sustainable use/re-use of resources including water, energy, seeds, labor and natural bio- and manure-based fertilizers, and (iii) a move from single crop season per year to two crop seasons per year. We look forward to reaching these goals before our 100th anniversary in 2025. 

The name of our farm 'Aadhava' means Sun (ஆதவன் in Tamil, आधव  in Sanskrit), the source of all energy that we farmers harvest as food and oxygen with the help of plants and trees.  'Aadhava' also happens to be a portmanteau of Arthi Anand, Deepa, Harish Anand, and Vijay Anand. 

What started as an 1.75 acre farm in 1925 has grown to a fully mechanized 70+ acre farm with a committed focus on the sustainable use of water, energy, and fertilizers. In 2023, we harvested 100+ metric tonnes/tons (1000+ quintals) of corn.