A brief conversation at Revati Sule’s wedding reception has turned into one of those internet moments that leaves everyone asking the same question: Who was the man speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?In a video from the Delhi reception, PM Modi can be seen seated on a sofa when a man in a black jacket approaches him. He greets the Prime Minister, takes out his phone and appears to show him something on the screen.What caught people’s attention was Modi’s response. Rather than a quick exchange, the Prime Minister appeared to listen closely as the man explained whatever he was showing him. With Sharad Pawar seated nearby, the clip soon made its way across social media, with viewers trying to identify the mystery guest.The man was eventually identified as Mithilesh Desai, a farmer and entrepreneur from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. And his work is quite different from what you might expect from someone suddenly going viral at a high-profile political gathering.Desai is known for his work with jackfruit and has earned the nickname “Jackfruit King of India” for his efforts to promote the fruit through cultivation, research and processing.
So, who is Mithilesh Desai?
Desai comes from Zapad village in Lanja taluka of Ratnagiri and grew up in a farming family. His father, Harishchandra Desai, began working with different jackfruit varieties around 2000 after bringing varieties from Kerala and cultivating them in Ratnagiri.Mithilesh eventually took that work further. With a background in Agricultural Engineering from MPKV, Rahuri, he brought a more research-driven approach to the family farm.He had also spent time preparing for the UPSC examinations, but eventually chose agriculture instead of following the more conventional career route.His focus gradually became jackfruit. Not just growing it, but understanding the crop, experimenting with different varieties and finding ways to make more from what the farm produced.Desai has cultivated a large collection of jackfruit varieties on his approximately 28-acre property in Ratnagiri. Different reports have put the number of varieties at more than 70, with some accounts saying his collection includes over 86 varieties from different parts of the world.And he hasn’t stopped at cultivation.
More than just jackfruit farming
Desai’s work has also looked at what can be done with different parts of the jackfruit plant. Seeds, leaves, bark and other parts have been explored for value-added products, while his wider food-processing work includes jackfruit, cashews, mangoes and other fruits and vegetables.He has also been involved in farmer-focused initiatives through a Farmer Producer Organisation, with the aim of creating better opportunities for farmers to process and market their produce rather than simply selling raw crops.His work has been associated with Jackfruitking Agro Producer Company Limited, where agriculture, processing and commercialisation come together.So, when Desai walked up to PM Modi at the Delhi reception and showed him something on his phone, there was more behind the interaction than a random guest approaching the Prime Minister.The reception itself brought together a striking mix of political leaders and prominent personalities. Revati Sule, daughter of NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and granddaughter of Sharad Pawar, married Nagpur-based industrialist Sarang Lakhani in June. The Delhi reception was held at the Pawar family’s 6, Janpath residence on August 10.PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among the prominent names present.Amid all those familiar faces, it was the farmer from Ratnagiri and his phone conversation with the Prime Minister that ended up grabbing online attention.And perhaps that explains why the clip resonated. For a few moments, the focus wasn’t on politics or the celebrity guests. It was on a farmer showing the Prime Minister a glimpse of work that began with his family’s jackfruit farm in Maharashtra.
