Page 26 - NAMAH-Oct-2023

Namah Vol. 31, Issue 3, 15th October 2023

on her plants. When I asked her about the
effect plants have on her, this is what she
shared:

“The joy and challenge of being able to root
a cutting. Once it roots, fondly remembering
the person who gave me the cutting every
time I see the plant. The joy of seeing a new
leaf, tightly curled, slowly unfurl and stretch
Individual action itself. The joy of seeing a seed germinate.
For days and weeks, there’s only soil and
With the consciousness of plants seeping suddenly you see a shoot. Often, the seed
into mainstream discourses, thanks to global is still on the shoot, perched like a rakish
warming, people are taking individual and hat. The joy and challenge of figuring out
collective actions to fight ecological devastation. the different needs of the different plants
There is a growing group of gardeners in — water, light, sun, pH level of the soil, air.
the most congested and built-up cities of The absolute beauty of the different colours,
the world, not to mention the most polluted shapes, textures.
cities. Balcony and terrace gardening are
common. Indoor plants are creeping in homes “The patience gardening engenders — you
and offices. These individual planters have can't hurry a plant along. Composting for
formed a social networking system where my plants, knowing I'm reducing our landfill
they help each other by providing tips and contribution, and the smell of fresh earth after
connecting buyers to sellers. The techniques the compost is ready. And pests too, knowing
of aeroponics and hydroponics are spreading. that they too are part of the cycle of growth
and decay. Learning about companion plants
Gardening has many benefits — healthy and beneficial insects. For example, now I
eating being just one. Soil has a property look forward to the blue banded Australian
of curing depression and relieving stress. bee, which haunts my Dieffenbachia around
Plants become friends, or babies one tends this time — don't know why the bee likes
to. One does not feel lonely. One gets into a that plant. And because I watch trees and
flow state when gardening (6). I interviewed plants so much, I slowly became a by-the-by
a friend who calls herself a ‘plantaholic’. She birdwatcher too, and realised that Delhi isn't
has a large patio garden in Delhi, one of the just home to crows, mynahs, pigeons. It has
most polluted cities in the world. She likes an astonishing variety of birds. Exasperation
the challenge of growing difficult plants. She with myself for not figuring out why some
has no children of her own and I believe all plant isn't doing well. And sometimes, but
her motherly love is showered on plants. She very rarely, with the plant — some are total
feels proud to show off her thriving children, divas — to be fair to them, they are genetically
and anxious when a plant child gets sick. She programmed to grow on the Amazon Forest
rushes home to check on it after a workday. floor and here you are, trying to coax them to
She buys special screens to adjust the sunlight live in a smoggy city with 5-10 Celsius winter

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