Subbarow and the cow dung connection
NV Subbarow is quite at home handling cow dung as he is typing on a computer.
He will gleefully put his hands into cow dung and even pick up handfuls of earthworms to be used in producing vermicompost – an excellent chemical-free fertiliser and soil conditioner.
Neither the smell nor the feel of cow dung puts him off, and he has to thank his mother S Ramamah for it.
As a child, Subbarow had to pick up cow dung, help press it into a pancake-like shape and place it to dry for use later as fertiliser in the vegetable garden his family created on open spaces in front of their estate quarters in Telok Anson (now Teluk Intan).
If he refused to touch the cow dung or mix cow dung with water and sprinkle it around the house, he’d get an earful from Ramamah.
Today, aged 67, Subbarow is one of the more prominent faces of the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) which, in recent years, has been championing natural farming and getting people to eat right. And he is leading the charge.
Subbarow says: “In those days cow dung was often used to cement walls and cow dung mixed with water was sprinkled throughout the house as a disinfectant.
Every Friday, my mother would sprinkle dung water in the whole house, with me helping sometimes. She would also sprinkle dung water on the ground in front of the house before drawing the kolam on it.”
Subbarow’s mother and father M Narayanan Tandal worked as rubber tappers, as did his eight siblings later in life. It was a hard life but one that would serve him well.
He studied until Standard Six at the Pembroke Estate Tamil School before moving on to the Horley Methodist Secondary School in Telok Anson. He was the first in the family to go to secondary school, and he had to cycle 14km daily to get to Horley Methodist.
Upon completing school, Subbarow went to Kuala Lumpur where he worked in publishing before moving to a firm that did market surveys.
It was at this time that he attended an environmental conference hosted by CAP where participants were taken to Kuala Juru to see the problems faced by fishermen.
Subbarow took pictures and wrote an article which was published in the daily Tamil Nesan. That article was spotted by CAP’s then assistant secretary R Karthigesu who contacted him.
Karthigesu and then CAP president, the late SM Mohd Idris, persuaded him to join CAP and start a Tamil section, which he did. That was in 1977. Soon the Tamil-speaking population, including the Tamil media, became aware of CAP and its activities.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Next to Idris, Subbarow, as CAP education officer, became one of the better known faces of the organisation. One reason is that he worked very well with Idris, sharing similar ideas, and becoming the trusted implementer of many of Idris’s ideas.
To Subbarow, Idris was a father figure whom he deeply respected and whom he still misses.
Idris, who died last May 18, told me on a couple of occasions that without Subbarow, CAP would not have been able to do what it did on the ground in estates and rural areas, particularly in raising consumer awareness among fishermen, Indians and squatters. He was very fond of Subbarow.
Subbarow has appeared in newspapers, magazines, on radio and television, which is why most Indian families in Malaysia would have heard of him. He is known even amongst consumerists and farmer activists in Tamil Nadu, India.
Among other things, Subbarow has championed the health and rights of estate workers, something that came naturally given his background.
CAP’s Tamil section successfully ran an anti-illicit samsu campaign in the 80s and 90s and today one hardly hears of illegal samsu brewing.
CAP also campaigned against cheap alcohol sold in small plastic packets, resulting in a government ban – but only after years of protest. It has not been able to get the government to ban the sale of cheap alcohol in bottles though.
Working with the CAP team, Subbarow educated people, especially in estates where men had a drinking problem, about physical abuse and domestic violence and the importance of sending their children to school. CAP also protested against excessive violence in Tamil films, but with little effect.
From the late 80s, Subbarow visited Tamil Nadu several times to learn how farmers there were able to grow bountiful harvests without the use of chemicals.
On three of those visits, he took farmers of all races from Malaysia to Tamil Nadu to study their methods.
Some of those who returned home continued to implement what they learned, including making and using Pancha Kavvya – a concoction made from combining cow’s milk, urine, dung, yogurt and ghee. It is a growth promoter which creates microorganisms in the soil and helps the earth heal.
CAP really started giving importance to traditional, chemical-free farming after a fateful meeting between Idris and scientist G Nammalwar, who once worked with India’s agriculture ministry, at a conference in Trichy, Tamil Nadu.
Nammalwar, known in Tamil Nadu as the “Guru of organic farming”, would go from village to village educating people on how to farm the natural way. He was a hands-on activist.
On Idris’s invitation, Nammalwar came in 2005 with two others to share their knowledge. They met farmers of all races in various places, including Cameron Highlands and Ipoh, and taught them the practice of chemical-free, natural farming.
“Nammalwar taught us many useful things,” Subbarow recollects. Sadly, Nammalwar died in December 2013.
One day, Idris, who loved to be surrounded by greens, asked Subbarow if he could turn a 1.4-acre parcel of land behind CAP’s premises off Jalan Masjid Negri into a chemical-free farm.
Subbarow and his team in the Tamil section accepted the challenge and for two years toiled on the land, clearing it and digging out the stones and planting food crops, trees and herbs.
It is now about 12 years since, and CAP has produced 67 types of vegetables and more than 50 types of herbs on its farm.
To learn up about herbs, Subbarow’s colleagues O Saraswathi Devi and G Theeban went around the country meeting old people of all communities – Malays, Chinese and Indians.
They also collected seeds and saplings from various places, including jungles and graveyards, and planted them in CAP’s farm.
The herb nursery has become very popular with Penangites. So much so that 10 secondary and primary schools in the state have started herb gardens after learning the tricks from Saraswathi and friends.
“We published a booklet called Herbs in Daily Life five years ago and it is the most popular booklet published by CAP. It contains information on how you plant them, their medicinal value and recipes for cooking. The pictures used help readers to easily identify the herbs,” says Subbarow.
“We also came up with other guides – how to manage natural farming, how to care for the soil, garden to plate, recipes and such. Each booklet costs between RM3 and RM5 only.
“When we offer alternatives to consumers instead of just saying this is bad and that is bad, we get a lot of support. Even people who didn’t like CAP before now like us.”
CAP is urging the public to grow fruits and vegetables on any available piece of land.
Subbarow and his team teach consumers how to plant vegetables even in bottles cut into half, in coconut shells and, yes, eggshells. Those living in apartments who think it’s impossible or difficult to plant anything are taught new tricks.
Subbarow says that current CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader is very supportive. “He is a committed leader and is always pushing all of us to educate consumers to make good choices and stand up for their rights,” he adds.
Once every month housewives, students and community leaders come to CAP to learn about natural farming. It’s hands-on and free, but contributions are accepted.
“We also teach them how to make their own herbal drinks using misai kucing, bunga raya and other herbs and plants,” adds Subbarow.
“We tell people to care for the earth and not kill microorganisms in soil by using chemical products in their gardens and farms. If you take care of your garden, whatever you plant will grow well; but please don’t put poison into the soil.”
They are also taught how to make vermicompost, using earthworms. People are amazed when they learn how adding a few earthworms, and a little dung, to garden compost can produce better quality compost. Those who feel comfortable handling earthworms and cow dung, do so; others watch.
“I tell people that dung is not disgusting. It’s our helper, it enriches the soil and promotes plant growth.”
Subbarow may have his hands in dung but he is certainly not in deep s*it. Far from it. In fact, he’s enjoying helping to green the earth and teaching people healthier eating habits. - FMT
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