Rituparna MukherjeeRituparna Mukherjee
I would like to think that my love for gardening is
something inherited. Both of my grandmothers had the green touch, growing a
variety of flowers, fruits and vegetables in the vast gardens they had in the
small-town homes we used to vacation in. In fact, my visits to my maternal grandmother
in Shillong, Meghalaya were always touched with a certain luminescence and the
iridescence of nature—of the many-hued petunias, gerberas, climbing roses and
camellias, the bloodied poppies, the lush plums and pomegranates, their
luscious flesh oozing life.
I have seldom seen my grandmothers procure puja
flowers from the market; it was always home-grown. It is different for me as an
urban gardener here in Kolkata, with an ever-increasing temperature,
ever-shortening winter, late and over-abundant rains, the impact of climate
change is clearer from an observation of my small rooftop garden. This has been
my pride and salvation since the last eight years, ever since I started working
and had my own place. But gardening in tight spaces poses its own unique challenges,
the most common of them being pests that travel faster than I can sometimes
keep up, especially during monsoons. However, as with everything else in life,
gardening well is a force of habit and familiarity.
I have learnt that plants are the most resilient beings and can thrive in the most adverse circumstances with bare necessities. I often think of them as individuals that have their own gregariousness, plants, especially those grown in pots, like community, and grouping plants, especially flowering plants helps them grow better, more resourceful, and helps them brave the weather better. I have also learnt the value of doing less to get more. Often, showering plants with excessive care harms them and I earnestly think that teaches me to value my own personal space and independence as well as that of others. There is value in allowing others to grow in their own being in their own space and time. And cliched as it may sound, plants work wonderfully in keeping people calm and content.A rose by any other name
A Valentine's touch, perhaps |
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Email: ritumukherjee10@gmail.com
Instagram handle: @ritumukherjee10
Birth In all it's lilac glory Oh, to have nature at my door They say it's heart bleeds untamed, many-hued bougainvilleas
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