Hello! This is my 9th Edition of writing these write-ups that I term as open letters. In case you have just landed, you can check out any of my previous write-ups-

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Lights and Rejection, Bags and Batman, Washrooms and Cupboards, Driving and Friendship, or Humor and Instant Messaging!

This time, we shall talk about Gardening and Economies of Efforts. Do check out our podcast while you read this. It would be a great idea to let it on while you read. Do follow us to keep yourself updated with the things we do.

Episode 3 - Gardens and Economies of EffortsBy Blabber DabbersPodcast episode

Rewind a few years back. I am sitting on the bench of PDPU just opposite the mess and I observe things around. People waking up and walking like zombies, birds chirping as if they discovered an elixir, and a lawnmower moving like it owns the place. The lawnmower pulls my attention. Not because it is the most interesting thing around, but it is the noisiest one. As I look at the Gardener shaping a massive garden, I ponder about his efforts and his day.

A gardener is such an interesting yet not talked about the person. He or she knows about so many things in the garden. A gardener is like a parent who has brought up so many kids, some have even given him fruits and pretty much everything he wants. Gardening is such an interesting yet meticulous activity. I have tried to grow two plants on my small balcony. One is a gift from the school where I taught for a year and the other is yet to grow plant that I received in Rakshabandhan Rakhi. I demanded for a growable rakhi and my sister fulfilled the demand. Even the one little plant that I own on my balcony has taught me several things.

I have to water it regularly or it withers out. I also have to be careful about it not being overwatered, especially in monsoons. However, it more or less is a very flexible plant and can grow by itself without much care and fuss.  This takes me back to the intricacies of being a gardener.

A gardener knows exactly how much water the plant requires. They know how long it can stay without water and what is the perfect time to water it. From knowing how fast they grow to how long they can live, the gardener is like the encyclopedia of life. That is all so cool and already so fascinating, but the most lovable characteristic that I learn from a gardener is how to economize efforts.

The gardener operating the lawnmower at PDPU knows that the grass needs to be cut and the fastest and the easiest way to do so is to use a lawnmower. However, there is a football field in PDPU that had perfectly cut shrubs that would be the length of the waist. He needs to cut them by hand and scissors. The shapes are also so perfect. Whether it is to make a straight line and have all the shrubs in a single line or make some wavy lines, he knows it all.

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I guess that's what I have learned from him. Sometimes, things need the least amount of effort to start. I remember people being so comfortable around me and I around them that it feels like it happens automatically. It is like a cactus that would grow automatically and never require much effort. Some relations need regular watering like the plant I own. It can survive for weeks without water but it also starts getting weaker. Then there are some that need water every day. If you have ever heard about Bamboos or sugarcanes, they need a lot of water. However, the beauty of Bamboo is that it grows extremely fast, and when it does, you realize that the everyday watering was so beneficial and rewarding.

We tend to think that everything good or worthy in life is only gained after putting in real hard work and a lot of effort. I do not agree with this idea. Jug in Dear Zindagi aptly explains this by saying that sometimes, the easiest and the simplest path is the best one. And also, it is not efforts that bear the fruits, it is the commitment and dedication that does! If the gardener puts a lot of effort and waters the plant extensively for a month, even more than it needs, the plant would die. However, if he continues his dedication and gives in some water every day, the plant would definitely survive and eventually bear fruits.

So what is the point? Gardening teaches us what I like to term as the Economy of efforts. Things would grow when you maintain a discipline to make them grow. It is not necessary that it has to be the biggest or the toughest thing in the world. It can be really simple. You can grow a tree just by watering it every day for years. It would eventually grow and give you the fruits. You do not need to be an expert in gardening to bear the fruit. You just need dedication. You would figure out everything about the tree you are growing as and when you need to.

You know what the best part of gardening is? The plant does not die the moment you stop watering. It waits for the longest time it can before giving up. Even if you start watering it in its end days, it would probably sprout up and grow. It is understanding. So are your goals. Be consistent and be the gardener. Do not be the lawnmower that can just cut in a single way. Be the gardener who knows how to cut and when to cut and you would be there in no time.

And how to be a gardener? Simple. Just plant a seed! :D 

That is all from my side for this fortnight! Do not forget to give my podcast a listen and follow it! It is quite an interesting conversation!

Following the ritual, here are the takeaways-

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Raj’s Version

Garden aur Parishram

Gardens are always quite pleasant, they have something soothing about them which goes beyond the visual aspect of it; they please the mind and the soul. Strangely enough, we don’t realize the kind of efforts that go behind it unless we get into the mud ourselves. I grew up with a small garden at home, my mom loves plants so she used to manage and nurture them. I never really gave it much of a thought until the pandemic hit, lockdown played a pivotal role in my love affair with gardens. I can’t recollect the precise moment but as I spent more time at home and on my balcony, I felt that it’s a decent size balcony, we could have a few plants here. That’s how it began. Just dropping this idea to my mom was enough, she was already enthusiastic about it and we went off to get a plant for my balcony. I must say I thoroughly enjoy the process each time, going to the nursery and browsing through so many saplings and then finalising on one or a few of them to bring home. Feels like a sort of adoption process. 

What I didn’t know was that this was only the first step, I took it for granted that once we got the sapling the job was done. We then had to get a pot, and what’s even more we needed soil! Now where to go for some nice fertile soil in our concrete jungles? The urban life we have built around us has little space for the kind of soil we need. And here began another fun journey. We hopped into our car with a bucket and digging equipment and went towards the outskirts where some agricultural land is still there, and when we requested the farmers there they were happy to allow us in and take some of their soil. This part only talks about where we got all the necessary things, now we had to do the other half of putting it all to use, planting the sapling properly in the pot, deciding where to put it, and moving it around like crazy. I must say the whole process felt so rewarding, fun, and peaceful that I couldn’t have enough of it. This soon became a routine even after the lockdowns were all lifted, every weekend mom and I would be off to get the sapling, soil, pot, later even fertilizers and whatnot.

The sheer joy of this process, putting all the effort and seeing the plant nicely set in your space is unmatchable. It keeps rewarding you by growing up and turning into a beautiful plant. Well, sometimes you also get your heart broken by some sapling which doesn't manage to survive due to some reasons. Soon I had a lovely garden on my balcony, and we even grew the garden downstairs by a decent size. I realised that this whole initial process is the honeymoon phase where you’re just having fun. However, once you’ve got all your plants in place then comes the part where you build your relationship with the garden, where you put in immense work, efforts, and emotions into building a solid relationship with it. Even here you go through ups and downs, it also becomes an internal journey for you as much as an external; once you invest yourself emotionally it interacts with so many other emotional strands within you and becomes a part of your overall well being. The plants are thirsty beyond water, they feed on the care you provide. I had written this post on Instagram which kind of summarises my mood and relationship with my garden in recent times:

I feel plants need as much love as humans do. And they can love you back equally well. This fall my whole garden dried up; with crack lines running deep and wild into the soil, in no particular direction though. The faded colour of the soil crushed my soul, it seemed upset with me, like a disgruntled lover whose hand I had promised to hold but couldn’t, only after a few miles. Flowers no longer see where they once blossomed in abundance, and the leaves all yellow. I realised I had stopped spending time with them, we never stop to think as long as flowers are still there and the leaves all green. This is what kills the plant. Now I stop many times a day to take a break from life and spend time in my garden. Gradually the soil feels better, and so does the self.

I have also realized a garden calms me down so much. It makes me feel closer to nature with tiny little sparrows and other birds often coming to visit and even otherwise just the presence of these plants makes you feel the natural element. I guess we all have it within us but an external garden has the power and energy to activate it in a quiet soothing manner. 

No matter how much effort and to care it requires, in the end, I think I can comfortably say it is all worth it. Standing amidst those lovely flowers and your eyes feeling the soothing colors of those plants, you can gladly say: Dil garden garden ho gaya.


Ayee! Thank you so much for reading and I would be so happy to know what you think about this letter. Do feel free to give me any constructive feedback. I would really appreciate it! I write these things fortnightly so see you on or before 16th October! :D

That is all from our side for this edition! See you all! Like, share, comment, subscribe, send kabootars, throw your devices and computers, and make us famous! :P

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