he nondescript gate to Allwyn Sequeira’s property is misleading. Once you enter and are led in, the expanse of green soothes the eye; the many butterflies, fruit trees, vegetables and decorative plants – all that seem to be growing wildly but seemingly with a method in place are proof of the effort put in by its owner. Sequeira, who now looks like a dishevelled gardener is a typical city slicker, having lived a large part of his life in the Middle East, only returning to Goa six years ago.
He reveals, “My father had bought this land years ago. He passed away 40 years ago and my mother lived in Miramar while I worked in the Middle East. She never really came to this property. Once I moved back to Goa, I was looking at purchasing land and on my way, accidentally visited this neglected family property. I had zero knowledge about planting or cultivation but somehow just wanted to experiment and try doing something on this land.” The rest of his family – mother, wife and sister didn’t think much of his plan but were happy to allow him his ‘moment of madness’.
By literally getting his hands dirty and using his competence in technology, 50-year-old Sequeira firstly, got “off the grid” by running the place fully on solar power. Fine-tuning the requirement to his needs, he was able to assemble components and create an installation that worked best for his requirement. He clarifies, “There is a misconception that solar energy is expensive. The cost of installation is high but components aren’t that expensive. It’s important to understand the requisite usage. Most people spend a lot more without understanding this basic.”
A big proponent of DIY (Do it yourself), Sequeira has done everything on his land on his own with no fancy equipment except his investment in tools and with no extra labour, except his own two hands. His ‘hands on’ knowledge also opened up new avenues that he was only too happy to explore. Having recently been invited to put up a solar powered stall on green businesses and methodologies at Tedx Goa, it led him to serendipitously consult and advise on solar installations.
Sequeira is a strong believer in sustainability and self sufficiency. With water that is pumped from the old cast iron well to electric power that is harnessed from the sun, his unmanicured garden has a variety of decorative plants that jostle for space with vegetables like brinjal, ladies finger, bitter gourd, pumpkin among others, depending on the season and fruit trees from coconut to Singapore cherry, mulberry, bananas, papaya and chikoo. He totally rebuffs the notion that cultivating is money intensive but agrees that it is effort and time intensive. “I don’t believe in manicured gardens and spending a lot of money buying saplings. We have so much around us. I always pick up cuttings of plants that grow on the side of the tarmac when driving. These are beautiful ornamentals and create lovely hedges. I also love visiting fairs like the Dharwad Krishi Mela where I have learnt from professionals for free and also buy fruit saplings at a nominal rate,” says Sequeria.
“Today, there is so much information available online and forums like Go Goa Green are a resource centre in sharing and learning,” he adds further.
The Go Goa Green (GGG) group, which was started by Mauricio Almeida, is a forum to share a common passion for organic agriculture and gardening. It is an open WhatsApp group that welcomes anyone with an interest in farming. Almeida avers, “Allwyn is a fairly newcomer to the group and also relatively new to the green scene. However, his enthusiasm is infectious and he is never embarrassed to put forth the simplest of questions. He keeps our group fully energised and lively.”
Sequeira’s ingenuity is evident in everything, including the re-purposed washing machine drum that is converted to a fire pit. A bathtub is recycled as a water body and surprisingly a turtle has made itself comfortable there and to Sequeria’s joy, he also discovered some hatchlings. It’s no surprise that his haven of green now attracts friends of the avian and human kind who seek it as a rejuvenation spot. With plans to begin rainwater harvesting, create an underground storage system and self-sustained water system that could also fulfill his dream of making a waterfall within the space; his mind is always ticking with endless possibilities.
“Without getting your hands dirty, you will never be able to understand the soil requirements or plant cycles,” he says and passionately adds, “When I first started, I made many mistakes but didn’t let that discourage me. Simple things like names of plants which were alien to me are now familiar and I learnt basic requirements like the importance of sieving the soil, by experimenting. Understanding of plants that aerate the soil, importance of composting; also specifics like the ash from wood is good to mix in compost which helps keep certain insects away – basics that were learnt only by doing.”
Though he continues to live in Miramar, his penchant for this green lung space sees him gravitating to this spot more often, with his six-year-old son, Eliot in tow. As a common person with no background in gardening, Sequeira is delighted in being made an example to follow. With candour, he says, “I like to help the ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) of Goa with small pieces of land lying unutilised, not knowing what they can do with it other than sell it to the highest bidder. I’m hoping to make our Goans understand that their land is their identity, their culture and their home.” And he cheekily adds, “If I, by doing this have convinced my mother and turned them into green nature lovers, there is hope for the less strong minded!”
