From the battlefield to a farm field: 91-year-old army veteran becomes social entrepreneur

For most of us, retirement means stop working for a living because it is time to relax and be with our near and dear ones. For some, it also means having the time and freedom to do what they want.

But for 91-year-old retired Honorary Army Captain Lekh Raj Sharma, retirement meant a new beginning.

Unlike other people his age, Sharma started an enterprise for mushroom cultivation in September 2018 in his native Una District in Himachal Pradesh after retiring.

Through mushroom cultivation, he is providing job opportunities for people in the area and is also helping farmers get better income.

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For this, Sharma travels from Chandigarh to his native every week and stays for three days to look after his farm. During his stay, he monitors and assists local women working in the farm in packaging mushrooms. Sharma, who strongly opposes the use of chemicals to whiten the mushroom, is now cultivating organic mushrooms.

Initially, Sharma had bought 500 bags of ready-to-grow mushrooms and watered them regularly and kept them in a suitable temperature so that it grows well. But, things weren’t good and losses occurred in the beginning. Eventually, his mushroom farming started yielding profits.

Talking to The Logical Indian about the motivation that encouraged him to pursue mushroom farming, he said,

I am not doing it for profit, though I intend to break even on my expenses and remain sustainable. I was not interested in sitting quietly, and some well-wishers warned me about the risks of undertaking such a venture, but I was keen on taking this challenge.

He added that he is keen to "generate and sustain dignified employment" to set an example that one can contribute to the society even at the age of 90. "If I don’t do anything and just sit at home, how will I reach 100?" he said.

On mushroom cultivation, Sharma said that it takes a few weeks or even months to mature, and a single bag could give 1.5-2 kg of button mushrooms, that means 500 bags could provide 1,000 kg of mushrooms.

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To Sky Met Weather, Sharma said, “The process has not been that easy. While I was thinking of this cultivation, many people warned me about losses that I am going to face. However, my zeal always remained high. I was clear about my goals that I have to create a suitable model that can help farmers in getting better income and price for the crops."

One of the reasons behind Sharma venturing into farming is getting support from his two sons - Devinder Sharma and Sudhirendar Sharma. While Devinder is into agriculture and food policy business, Sudhirendar is a water expert and writes columns and delivers lectures on the water issues, reports The Logical Indian.

Besides farming, Sharma has also worked in the administration department of a college in Chandigarh. Apart from this, he has actively associated himself with an NGO called Energy Environment Group, which is into solving issues related to hospital waste management and technology access such as water seal toilets, solar cookers, and biogas plants in rural areas.

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