In Barne village of Karjat taluka, a humble schoolteacher has become the talk of the region — and perhaps will be soon of the entire state — for his remarkable transformation from an educator to a progressive farmer cultivating rare and exotic fruits, including the world-famous Miyazaki mango from Japan.

Rajendra Kamlu Fulaware, 40, a district school teacher by profession and a farmer by passion, has been nurturing a 3 to 3.5-acre farm for the past five years with his wife, Sanjeevani, who is also a teacher. Despite their academic backgrounds — Rajendra is a BA, DEd graduate, and his wife holds an MA, DEd — they are deeply rooted in the agricultural tradition and committed to innovation in farming.

From five to a hundred