LIC agent, 62, turns rooftop into passion fruit farm while pursuing second master’s degree

Adimali: As dawn breaks over Adimali in Idukki, 62‑year‑old Saseendran VT heads to his rooftop where passion fruit vines drape across railings and ropes, with clusters of ripening fruit hanging like bright ornaments.

For Saseendran, an LIC insurance advisor by profession, the terrace is more than a garden. “Growth never stops for plants, and certainly not for people,” he said.

Alongside work and farming, he is pursuing a second master’s degree in Malayalam. He fits textbooks and assignments into his day by listening to recorded classes while driving, reviewing lessons while cooking or farming, and studying while ironing clothes. “Studying at this age is tough. You just have to make time,” he said.

His rooftop uses only compost from kitchen waste and cow dung, with no external inputs. Besides passion fruit, he grows okra, beans, broccoli, papaya and chillies in a criss‑cross pattern designed to maximize sunlight in limited space.

The setup has turned his home into a small model of urban farming.