MALAPPURAM: In Angadipuram panchayat, the dusty brown landscape of the rural road undergoes a sudden colour shift in the Aripra-Mannaramba stretch. A ribbon of flowers, fruit saplings, resting spots with benches, and children’s swings for nearly half a kilometre along the roadside have reshaped the quiet village corner into a picture-perfect evening spot.
The shift in aesthetics is not a result of any government beautification project or tourism scheme, but the dedication of a night tea shop owner, and his son’s desire to help him, to turn the roadside into a garden.
“We first grew a few plants near the shop to make it look appealing for customers,” says Rasheed Kooriyadath, who runs ‘Chayamakkani’, a roadside night restaurant that opened in 2024. His son, school-going Rabiullah, helped him dig, water, and arrange a couple of benches along the roadside. The small green patch drew attention and admiration.
“The little change lifted the look of the roadside,” says Rasheed.
“People appreciated us, and that became our motivation to expand our gardening.” The idea spread like wildflowers. Neighbours encouraged them, children gathered to play, and travellers stopped to rest and take photos.
Soon, Rasheed, Rabiullah, and Rasheed’s brother Unais, were tending to a flourishing garden on both sides of the street. With fruit trees, flowering shrubs, swings, and neatly-placed seating, the once-ordinary roadside was transformed into a lively community space.
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