Puja Hiraman Gawali’s journey has moved through two very different worlds—competitive sport and farming. A canoeing medalist, she eventually left her job to take responsibility for a 3.5-bigha grape vineyard. After facing losses caused by weather, fungal infections and fruit decay, she kept learning, improved the quality of her grapes and earned around ₹9 lakh last year. Today, her grapes are exported to Europe.

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It is difficult to decide whether Puja’s story should begin with sport or farming, because every stage of her life prepared her for the next challenge.

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She lost her mother when she was just one and a half years old, before she was old enough to understand what losing a mother meant. She grew up with her father, aunt and younger brother. From childhood, she learned to adapt to difficult circumstances and keep moving forward.

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While studying for her M.Com. at K.K. Wagh College in Pimpalgaon, she developed a passion for canoeing. She participated in several competitions and represented Maharashtra and Pune University at events in Delhi, Bhopal and Bilaspur. She also won medals at the state level.

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At the same time, her family’s farm remained a responsibility. After completing her education, Puja received a job opportunity and worked for some time. But when she saw her father’s health condition and the situation of the family farm, she made a clear decision—she would give her time to farming rather than continue with the job.

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She left her job and took charge of the 3.5-bigha grape vineyard.

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With limited farming experience, she had to learn many things from scratch. She began handling tasks ranging from driving a tractor and spraying crop protection products to water management and vineyard care.

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Success did not come immediately. Sometimes weather conditions changed, sometimes fungal infections and fruit decay affected the crop, and at other times the grapes were damaged just before harvest. Despite working hard, she did not always get the production she expected.

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But after every setback, Puja chose not to give up. Her approach was simple: if she was going to farm, she would learn to do it properly.

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She began paying closer attention to every detail—timing of spraying, dosage of crop protection products, maintaining the required pH balance and the precautions needed before harvesting. She learned from her mistakes and tried to avoid them in the next season.

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Gradually, the results became visible. The quality of her grapes improved. She understood market requirements better and focused on producing according to those needs. Eventually, her grapes reached European markets.

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Last year, Puja earned around ₹9 lakh from grape cultivation.

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For her, however, success in farming is not limited to income. She believes farmers need to work together. When every farmer sells produce independently, their bargaining power is limited. She therefore believes farmers should come together, understand the market and make collective efforts to secure better prices.

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Today, Puja is an M.Com. graduate, a sportsperson and a farmer who confidently manages her family’s vineyard. The challenges in her life have not disappeared, but her way of facing them has changed.

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She did not wait for circumstances to change. She made decisions, kept learning and created her own path.

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Watch the video: Navdurgas of the Farm — Puja Gawali

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