A Day with the Future of Agriculture: My Experience at Acharya Institute

23rd December, was celebrated as Farmers’ Day. On this special occasion, I had the privilege of being invited as a guest by Acharya Institute of Technology. Their gesture touched me deeply—they invited me not just as a farmer, but also as an entrepreneur. Standing in front of students from the Biotechnology department, I shared my journey—from engineering, to software, to finally finding my heart in agriculture. In that moment, my mind travelled back nearly three decades, revisiting so many memories of my own student life!

The Acharya campus itself is truly awe-inspiring. Spread across nearly 120 acres, it is lush, green, and beautifully planned. The diversity of trees, the architectural design of the buildings, and the vastness of the space left me amazed. It didn’t feel like just a college campus; it had the grandeur and energy of a full-fledged university. Expansive, elegant, and full of life.

One of the highlights for me was meeting the students. Watching them listen with genuine interest to my talk on Hydroponics technology filled me with happiness. Their curiosity, enthusiasm, and thoughtful questions made me feel hopeful about the future of sustainable farming.

Before heading to the event, there was an amusing little episode at home. My daughter took one look at what I was wearing and said,

"Appa, you’re going to speak in front of Gen Z! If you go like this, they won’t relate to you at all!"

With great authority, she promptly updated my outfit. When we were young, we listened to our mothers. Later in life, our wives guided us. And now, it is our daughters who advise us! And to be honest, many of the things they say (not all of them! 🤣) actually turn out to be right.

Hydroponics, in a way, feels similar. Though it is agriculture at its core, this modern method has a charm that attracts young minds. If this innovation can inspire at least a few from this Gen Z generation to step into farming someday, what more can we ask for? That would truly be fulfillment.

— Guruprasad Kurtkoti

#belesiri #guruprasadkurtkoti #farmersday