A roadside flowerbed

I have been interested in growing flowers since my childhood when I used to help my grandmother with gardening chores in my ancestral village. I learnt from her a lot about plants and how to cultivate them. My farming background also helped me in this regard in growing different types of flowering plants, vegetables, crops and fruit trees.

Later on when I joined IIT in Kharagpur as a student, I lived in Nehru Hall of residence which had a large garden near its entrance. While the flowers in that garden were grown and cared for by hostel staff, a number of students like me, living in Nehru Hall and interested in flowers and plants, also worked regularly in that garden. This helped in keeping my interest in gardening alive, and I looked forward to someday after graduation having a garden of my own. But things did not turn out that way as I continued to live in apartments after graduation, mainly in high rise buildings where growing plants and flowers was not practical.

However, while walking through the High Park area in Toronto about fifteen years ago, I came to know about a number of small plots of land in the park which used to be leased to people on yearly basis so that people could grow things in them. I had been looking for something similar, basically to rent a small piece of land and use it for gardening. By doing that, I also wanted to show and teach a few things about farming and agriculture to my young, school-age children.

With this in mind, I approached the park office responsible for those plots. To my disappointment, there was already a long waiting list of people interested in leasing them. I also learnt there that decision to lease plots was made by authorities during second week of February each year when a few plots would become available, after not being renewed by their previous renters. Anyway I added my name to the waiting list and visited the office a number of times hoping to lease a plot, but was not successful. Eventually I gave up the idea of renting a plot in the park and decided to look elsewhere.

I soon realized that a prarthana samaj (temple), not very far from where I resided in Toronto, had some empty and unused space in its front yard by the roadside. One day, several years ago, in the month of May after the winter was over and the snow had melted, I approached the temple priest and mentioned to him that I was interested in growing flowers in the front yard of his temple. He did not seem to mind and gave me a go ahead.

I immediately went to work and cleared garbage, weeds and shrubs from the area. Then I dug up and loosened the soil and added fertilizer to it, transforming it into a nice flowerbed and a potential small garden. Since this piece of land had not been cultivated for a long time, I had to spend more time and effort than usual to make it ready for gardening. I then planted a variety of flower seedlings. After a few weeks of careful watering and tending by me, the seedlings became stronger turning into plants. Following that, I just had to look after the garden on weekly basis - loosening soil, removing weeds and watering plants, etc. This effort by me led to a good production of flowers even during the first season, lasting till the end of October.

Since then I have continued planting and taking care of flowers (roses, marigolds etc.) for the temple. During flowering season, from June till the end of October, temple does not have to buy flowers from outside for use in its daily service because it can use flowers from its own garden for free. Moreover, many people visiting the temple or just walking on the road have paid compliments, even congratulated me, for a beautiful sight of flowers in front of the temple. It makes the place look very pretty.

This year things started somewhat differently in May after the snow and cold were over. I learnt that another person, a visitor to the temple, was interested in working and looking after the garden. Realizing that he should get the same opportunity as I had previously, I told him to go ahead with the gardening work. I also indicated to him and the priest that I would be available anytime if they required my help afterwards. Anyway, when I visited the temple a few weeks later, I noticed that he had done a splendid job in the garden.

Then a few days ago the priest telephoned me and asked me to go to temple and take care of a small empty patch of land in the garden. Next day I went there and did the required work. As I was about to leave the temple after talking to priest, he asked me to wait. He took out a form from his folder and gave it to me to fill and sign. It was a life membership application to prarthana samaj, which after completion needs to be accompanied by a large monetary donation from the applicant. I looked at the priest curiously about the donation part but I did not notice any urgency about it on his part.

I filled the form, signed it and handed it back to the priest sans donation. He seemed pleased, took the form from me and placed it in his folder. After that I said goodbye to him and left the place. As I walked to my car, I kept on thinking about the first day when I started gardening in that place many years ago.

By: Dr. Subhash C. Sharma
Email: [email protected]
Date: June 23, 2008

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