India, Feb. 16 -- Rapid urbanisation has pushed the eponymous Mysore Veelyadele - Mysore betel leaf - to the margins in many parts of Mysuru district. But in Udbur, a small village barely 12 kms from the heart of Mysuru city, the leaf continues to thrive, rooted firmly in soil, tradition and community pride.

Located on Udbur-Hullahalli Road, off the Mysuru-H.D. Kote Road, this village has quietly held on to a legacy that once enjoyed royal patronage. What sets Udbur apart is not just the cultivation of the GI-tagged Mysore Veelyadele, but the fact that its farmers have built and sustained their own wholesale market, something rare in today's ecosystem.

A market is born

At the centre of the village stands the Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy V...