Model farmer Haripada Kapali, a guiding spirit of agriculture, has died. Known as the discoverer of Haridhan, he breathed his last last night at his home in Asannagar village, Jhenaidah. He was 95. Childless, he had long suffered from age-related illnesses. About twelve years ago he discovered a special high-yielding Aman rice and multiplied its seed.

Haripada Kapali was a frail man who understood nothing but farming. One day in the 2004 Aman season, he found in his paddy field a rice plant standing taller than all the others. He conserved it and multiplied its seed in his own way, and in 2005 the story appeared in a report on Channel i's Hridoye Mati O Manush.

After that, Haripada Kapali became known across the country. In 2006, at the programme's second anniversary, he was honoured as best farmer. The programme also gave samples of Haridhan to the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) for formal recognition and seed multiplication.

Although it did not receive government recognition, Haridhan spread across the country, carrying Haripada's contribution into countless farmers' fields. So an unknown ordinary farmer became a favourite of the country's farmers, his name forever in their hearts.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.