Gangtok, Mar 4: Veteran organic farmer Padma Shri Tula Ram Upreti, from Assam Lingzey village in Pakyong district, was laid to rest with full State honours on Sunday. The 100-year-old breathed his last on Saturday. The funeral procession took place on Sunday and was joined by Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay and other ministers.

Upreti was draped in National flag with 21-gun salute at his funeral in Jalipool Ghat in Gangtok District.

Upreti was a champion of organic farming for over eight decades. He was also given the title of father of organic farming in Sikkim, as he adopted the practice years before the ‘Organic Mission’ was initiated in Sikkim, 20 years ago. He was a pioneer in the cultivation of paddy and other vegetables organically, without using fertilizers, carrying forward the legacy of organic farming in Sikkim.

Upreti was continuing the legacy of his forefathers, when it comes to organic farming, even into his nineties. His family members said he stopped regular farming about 5-6 years ago due to recurring knee-related ailments.

Prior to Sikkim’s annexation to India, in the erstwhile kingdom, Upreti used to trade with Yatung in Tibet in the 1940s and 1950s. He had to travel with a cargo of rice, buckwheat, and maize on foot to Tibet, taking the silk route. He used to cultivate his field, spread over 12 hectares, with his bare hands and cattle, along with his helpers.

The organic farmer from Sikkim also served as a local panchayat member from Lingzey ward under Assam Lingzey Gram Panchayat Unit for 25 years. He was also a two-time panchayat president and retired from social service in 1996.

Tula Ram Upreti studied till the fifth standard at Tashi Namgyal Higher Secondary School (now TN Senior Secondary School).

Upreti is survived by eight sons and seven daughters and has over 100 members in his family. One of his sons, KN Upreti, served as a minister and legislator from the Rhenock Assembly constituency from 1979-99.

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