Cheruvayal Raman, renowned conservationist of traditional paddy seeds from Wayanad, passes away

Cheruvayal Raman, a renowned conservationist of traditional paddy seeds, passed away at the age of 74 on Wednesday . He was undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College hospital for age-related ailments. A native of Kammana in Edavaka, Wayanad, he was widely known locally as ‘Nellachan’ (father of paddy) for dedicating his life to the preservation of indigenous paddy varieties.

Born in 1952 to Kelappan and Theyi of the Cheruvayal Kurichya ancestral lineage, Raman took over the responsibility of managing his family’s agricultural land, livestock, and traditional seeds at the age of 17 following the death of his uncle. Despite facing obstacles in formal higher education, he gained extensive agricultural knowledge through life experience. Raman preserved numerous traditional rice seeds, including Kunnumkulamban, Peruvaka, Kuthicheera, Kunkumasali,Kunjunni, Onamottam, Onachanna, Vellimuthu, Kanakam, and Chembakam.