Once when Rathore was on a routine round on his pigeon pea field, one distinctive plant attracted his attention. Features that made this plant unique were: two colored bigger flowers than normal plants, longer leaves, and a lavish green plant that remained greener for a longer period. Observing these unique features, he decided to increase the yield of this plant by optimizing the number of branches and increasing the pod bearings. After inspecting and analyzing the plant, he collected the seeds and harvested them separately the next season to keep note of the growth and distinct characteristics of the plants. Henceforth, the variety of unique pigeon peas was fascinating in 2000. Rathore named his innovation after his daughter ‘Richa 2000’. This distinctive pigeon pea seed is a perennial variety and can be harvested twice a year. It gives more pods per plant and a high 18-24 q/ac yield. They contain more seeds per pod and are disease tolerant. With support from GIAN and the Honey Bee Network, the ‘Richa 2000’ has been disseminated to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra farmers. Rajkumar and his innovation were appreciated at the state and national levels. He was awarded at the 4th National Grassroots Innovation Awards. At different events, our former presidents Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil, and Pranab Mukharji, honored him.
