MUMBAI : Latur MLA Dhiraj Vilasrao Deshmukh has always been one to highlight the work of the farmer and their importance in our food chain and economy. During the lockdown while the MLA has been busy in ensuring his constituents stay safe and healthy, he managed to take time out to teach his wife and kids about the joys of farming.

" For all of us, farming is in our DNA. We are farmers first before everything else. So it is very important that both my children get introduced to what binds us all together. Our Mitee (soil). The fragrance of freshly ploughed soil. I want them to learn early in life that our farmers are our real superheroes," said Dhiraj.

Over the weekend Dhiraj decided to take wife Deepshikha and children Vansh and Diviyana out to the family farm. Dhiraj wanted the 5 yrs old Diviyana and 6 yr old Vansh to get a first-hand feel of working with the earth and being a farmer. Out in the field, Dhiraj got out the tractor, perched his super excited family on board, and off they went ploughing the fields. Preparing the ground to sow soyabeans among other crops - the hot Sun barely a deterrent for the young Deshmukh family.

" For both our children this was important. Learning the amount of hard work that goes into farming. They must learn to respect those who toil in the fields and moreover feel nature - understand nature. And from the looks of it, they seem to be true Laturkars. They are loving it", says wife Deepshikha smiling as she watched the father and children getting into the thick of things.

Dhiraj believes it's important to connect to your roots. And the past three months had given him what he had been missing for years - time. Time between his constituency, his family, and most importantly with his wife and children. And he has decided that he is going to make the best if it.