When I was little, we lived in a big house- The one that I now fondly remember as a house of dreams. Back then, to me it was something I was born with and wasn’t quite amazed at the facilities and luxuries. The best part was that the entire family was together and days and nights counted because of the quality time that we had as children. We had a small area near the entrance dedicated to plants and trees and my first memory of it was seeing about 4-5 large Ashoka trees about the height of three storey building.
When I recall now, I think of them as the most beautiful part of the home. I remember spending a lot of time playing around the place and finding out that there is a possibility for me to grow plants too. Probably this was one of the first encounters of mine that drew my attention towards gardening and identify the hidden interest I had.
I remember I first began with sowing Fenugreek seeds and was enthralled when they sprouted in a few days and there was no looking back ever since. At the age of 7 or 8 years I would experiment and sow seeds and hope for them to grow to give me shade, however, I could never reach that point. Either the plants dried or I lost interest in the seed I sow and looked forward to the next one. The limited access to information and the excitement together lead to lot of failures but it never lessened the interest I was beginning to have in the activity.
During summer, there would be lots of mangoes that would be purchased and consumed by us. No doubt, it was one of the favorite fruits that were perceived to be a luxury. After all it was the ‘King of Fruits’ and the thought of growing it occurred to me. Quietly and unnoticeably, I sowed one seed after the juice was taken out into the mud in the garden area and religiously watered it for a few days. Outcome- Nothing.
Although sad, I did not let go off it. I cheerfully asked some of my family members how the plant was grown and the answer I would get helped me very little. Almost everyone mentioned that it is grown with the help of seeds from the fruit – as though I wasn’t aware. Giving it a second thought, in the next seasons, I continued sowing the seeds and hoped for it to germinate and nothing happened.
When I look back at this particular experience, I feel a sense of happiness at the innocence of my feelings as a child and also a wish that I had access to knowledge regarding how to grow it. Sure I could have gone up to my science teachers in 5th grade or insisted my parents more, however, the fickle mind always wandered to the next activity before I could complete one. I shoved the thought to the back of my mind convincing myself that only the elite could grow the king of fruits and I need to wait to be one. Although, a part of me looks back now and wonders that had I even been able to germinate one seed, I’d not just have a huge tree giving me shade, but also the delicious fruits would come by as a blessing and reward. In this age, we have access to information and resources and the question is, are we willing to make use of it to pursue our ambitions?
I got back to the mango obsession in 2017 and this time with knowledge how to have a better outcome. I tried not just one way to make it work, but multiple. However, the outcome even then remained poor. I tried again in the summer of 2018 and I must say that before the best outcome, there were a dozed of unsuccessful attempts, but the time when the plant grew to give leaves, it felt like I reached a milestone of a journey that I began as a child.
The plant is flourishing and is two years old now. The house we live in now is smaller now and we no more have a garden space to plant trees on ground. What I do have is the willingness to enable it to grow healthy in a large pot and eventually find a better home for it where it would transform into a tree. When I had the garden space, I didn’t have knowledge. Now when I have knowledge, I do not have garden space. I hope in future when I have both, I also have the willingness and a sapling to plant.
In the summer of 2020, I felt more confident than ever before to give it a try and make mango seeds germinate after enjoying the delicious juice and pulp of it. After a try on abut two seeds, it only got better. Almost every seed that I tried to grow, sprouted and it felt overwhelming to have had the journey since about a hundred days. More than a dozen seeds grew to give leaves and more are yet to germinate. The challenge now is to find home for these saplings. I am confident that while it took about a decade for me to be able to germinate the seed, it would take lesser time to find homes for the little ones.
Years later when I realize that they are healthy and growing at some place and bearing fruits that their care-taker is enjoying, I am sure I would feel much better than how I would feel to just sit under its shade by myself.
PS: Link to the view the plants
1. https://freezeperception.tumblr.com/post/620093827444785152/left-mango-sapling-from-may-2018-right-same
2. https://freezeperception.tumblr.com/post/620093930778902528/mango-saplings-home-grown-in-may-2020
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