VEGETATION IS OUR LIFE BLOOD

ABC Wednesday               Outdoor clicks of the afternoon

V is for Verdure /Vegetation

In my state, Punjab, though autumn and winter are overlapping, yet environment is buzzing with the green spread of the flora of a different kind. if you happen to drive on the highway, it is a treat to watch, mustard fields spread over large areas, with the golden yellow flowers beckoning you. Believe me; they look like bright and shining trinkets swinging in the breezily warm sunlight.

 Flowering Mustard fields courtesy Google

carrots growing in the field courtesy Google

‘Sag’ prepared from Mustard greens is a favorite vegetable of Punjabis, in winters. We cook the greens along with spinach in a pressure cooker. After it is cooked, we season it with ‘Tadka’ of chopped onions, finely chopped garlic cloves and ginger juliennes.   It is the ultimate in gastronomic pleasure, if you eat it hot with freshly baked makki- di( maize) roti  with a dollop of butter.

Dark green leaves of fleshy radishes, light green of the carrots, cauliflower and green peas' fields dot the highway on both sides. These handpicked vegetables peek in availability, in winters.

Among the flowers, chrysanthemums and marigolds adorn the open spaces, around lawns in residences and commercial establishments. Every year, chrysanthemums shows are held very successfully in Chandigarh.

Ashoka trees in our neighborhood,  the sun behind the trees in the afternoon.

On a philosophical level, nature resonates with human destiny. The cyclic calendar of nature corresponds to the upheavals and  joyful moments, which alternate often in human lives. Nature is a metaphor for hope, beauty, tranquility and purity.

Cauliflower plantation,courtesy Google

My afternoon click

The presence of vegetation around us is our lifeblood. One shudders to imagine the barrenness of life minus lush greens. Without the all-embracing flora, our recurring mental trials and tribulations would have no outlet for rejuvenation and restoration of our spirit.

How lucky, to be endowed with the blissful entities of all kinds of trees, bushes, plants, flowers and grassy meadows!

Friends, welcome here as always!

                                                            Moving outdoor

MISTY MORNINGS IN SHIWALIK HILLS

A misty morning awaited me on getting up today. The light cottony clouds had shrouded the upper slopes in a mysteriously surreal canopy and allowed a breathtaking spectacle first thing in the morning. What a blessing! Can one ask for more? My gaze lingered on and on till I became conscious of the yellow orange reflection far away in front, trying to elbow its way out of the dense cloud formations there. The clouds happily obliged. They glided upwards gaily, freeing the towering mountains of its loving grip. At such a moment, standing still with a mind which is raring to encompass all the sensations of the physical world, conscious of the palpable but unnamed sounds, probably of the damp vegetation, waking up in unison and participating in a subdued chorus of its own, blended with mildly shrill cheeping of tiny birds, is a motif available only in the hills. Slowly the day dreaming gets jolted and disintegrates in the wake of human noises. Such deep bonding with the surrounding phenomenon is realized only in the cool stillness of the early morning when the world is slumbering. An experience totally private, generating vibes and waves of unique positive dimensions.

In fact every morning here is an unbounded loosely framed mural of nature’s miracles. Sometimes dazzling sunlight spreads its healthy joyful self through the bedroom window and while you thankfully welcome it with satisfying yawns and relaxed stretching, in anticipation of a dry day, it disappears magically and the narrow valley and mountains are engulfed by waltzing clouds reducing visibility. But patiently the sun wriggles out chasing away mist and   the mountains present sheets of gleaming plant life shaking itself into action like a bird after a puddle bath.

rain droplets on my clothes line

Some mornings are gloomy and wet. But when I spy early droplets of rain water threaded into my clothes line in the balcony, I try to imprison it in my cell and forget everything else.  The intermittent rains and prolonged gray spell do restrict mobility but something unexpected always stands out to neutralize the effect.  

At present (August) the pure blue sky remains patterned with eye catching cloud formations. Sometimes the shapes are abstract and at other times their similarity to certain objects is striking. One can spend hours in figuring out such relationships while overwhelmed by the nature’s inimitable prowess. The scenario is ever new, ever fresh. Such is the mind boggling variety of God’s unseen wand, painting wonders for His creation.

Often I contemplate how testing it’d be to exist in these volatile times without the gift of this holy phenomenon! 

All images courtesy my Motorola