garden times - Terry Times

Aabha, Abi,aditiC, akansha, Akhila, Akshaya, amritaSah, , Anaita, Anindita, ankitaG, anupa, anushaK, aparnaKh,

apna, arshiaK Arthur, Arushi, Arzanne, Ashika, avinash,

biancaP, bernadineR, bhakti, biniP, Brinda,

chaitali, Chandani, chloe, chrisannH, Christie,

Dale, deepaSom, deepikaM, delon, devayani, divyaD, diyaB, durga,

FatemaA, Firooza, fleurD, fleurX, gauriN, geetaC,

Habiba, ishaG,

jennyG, jennyP, jennyT, joey, jonita, juliaD, juliaJ,

kalpita, karenD, karenF, karishmaH, kiera, Louella,

mahzarine, manaliG, manasiP,manini, maranna, marieM, marisaM,mary-AnnO, mayuri, menakaP, mike,

Natasha.nakitaS, natashaShar, neenaz, nehaDS, nehaM, nidhiA, nidhieD, nidhiM,nikitaA, nikitaDC, nirmalaG,

nishi,nivedita,

Oleen, payalS, Pervin, poonamB, Prachi, pranjali, Preethi, priyankaS, priyankaR, pujaG,

Rakhee, ramita, reshmaB, rheazel, roshalBala, ruchiPal, ruchiPar,

Sai, Sameen, samiJ, samiraD, sandhyaS, sandra, sanket, saviers, Shantala,sharyn, shivangiPage, shonaalii,

shraddhaK, shriyaP, shwetaD, snehalS, sonyaO, sujataS, supriyaCo, supriyaR, Sweetlana,

Tarang, Tejashree,thaiza, toru, tupur.tapur,

Urvijaa, Utsha,

vaishakhee, valetta, vanithaK, vece, veeraF, viral, vrushaliG, vrushaliK,

Yakuta, yugi, Yvette,

Zaver,

For many years I did not like gardening. I loved plants and flowers. And I was very attracted to anything

related to a jungle. But I did not like gardening.

That had something to do with my growing up.

When we lived in Vishakapatnam we had a fairly large garden around our navy bungalow there. I remember my

being given a little triangular plot in the garden to grow plants and vegetables. My interest did not last too long

and the plants in that little triangular plot all died out on me!.

Some years later in Lonavala we also had a fairly large garden around our bungalow. Between the end of my

schooling (December 1960) and the beginning of college ( June 1961) I spent six months almost every evening

(nearly two hours) watering the rather large garden there.

It was dad’s garden and I had to water it every evening. I did not like doing that but I had no choice.

Maybe that is why I did not like gardening.

I am sure that the potted plants that were gifted to me later on in life sensed that.

Money plants, that can grow under any and difficult conditions, died under my care. I remember Alan gifting me

with an artistically crafted cactus collection for my birthday. I managed to kill that also. Later on Joan gave me

one of those fengshui bamboo plants.

Same thing. More dead plants added to my history.

Until a few years back. One of my students gave me another fengshui bamboo plant in a pot and asked me to please

look after it. I did that, though rather casually. The bamboo shoots there must have noticed a difference in my

caring and they survived. A few months ago another friend gifted me another prettily potted fengshui bamboo .

More caring by me…. and that too survives till today.

I then started to tend and care for the plants more diligently and affectionately. I paid attention to them.

Watered them more regularly, put them out in the sunlight distributed them among other containers and pots,

tried out new situations for them (growing them in closed bottles) and showing them off to everyone

who came into my room….

All that attention and caring seems to have paid off. The plants grow beautifully and I have a little

window-sill garden in my room now…

Over the past year I have also built up and outside garden.. and that too is expanding

(through legitimate encroaching!) and adding green and comfort peace to the surroundings

outside my room. I proudly show it off to almost everyone who comes to visit me!

Just a little garden but it is my garden and it is growing beautifully under my caring.

See?

The same things happens to us and we will surely be able to make the connections between the beautiful in our lives

and the caring and affection that made these grow and become a part of us..

So much of the beautiful that there is in us is in large part the natural consequence of someone’s affection and caring.

Parents …. teachers… some elder… relatives and even friends.

If it happened to us that way, then we can make it happen to others similarly.

It is the same thing with children and people in our lives too. Our affection and caring makes them grow more

beautifully. Students in our classrooms, colleagues and subordinates in our work places, domestic workers….

all reflect in the way they relate to us and society at large, the care and respect and affection we ourselves

poured out on them.

So if the world is a better place and people around us are better people then it often is because we ourselves have

reached out and cared.

Enough now. I have to go and open my curtain blinds so that sunlight falls on my window-sill garden….

And in a little while I will water the plants again.

Any time you are passing by please drop in. My little garden would like to meet you!

As for college things…it is the terminal exam season and things are mostly quiet and sober. Finally, the mood

is academic! I particularly like this time of the year… more peace for me as the rush for testing and counselling

is also on hold.

Take care. Love, Terry