Connecting With Ma Nature
Apart from the values that we get from our parents, the environment in which we grow, the friends that we make and the habits that we encourage go a long way in making us the kind of people that we are. In our hurry to get on with life and to manage to do all that we can as quickly as possible, we tend to miss out on our precious connection with Ma Nature.
Though I did not have the good fortune of having grown in a place blessed with bountiful nature, I did grow up in a place which was once known as Garden City. Most roads had trees lined on them, making walks, rides and strolls a pleasure! My mother grew plants of different kinds and was popular for her green thumb. The school where I studied and where I spent the major part of my days was filled with plants, flowers and trees of different shapes and colours.
But then, time changed. Industrial development was followed by digital development which led to lesser trees and more concrete jungles. It was a change we just could not avoid. Fortunately, after my son was born, when he was around a year and a half, my husband was transferred to Palakkad, Kerala. Having lived for long in a big city, settling down in a town bereft of many facilities kind of unsettled me!
Not that I did not want the warmth of Nature. But, this sudden shift from city to town, from concrete jungle to real jungle kind of irked me. But then, as it is rightly said: ‘Whatever happens does for the best.’ And so it was here too. After a year of adjusting with new baby, new place, new language and all, I had finally become comfortable in God’s Own Country.
Walking barefoot on dewy grass early in the morning, watching the seven sister sparrows, being witness to coconuts unexpectedly falling down coconut trees, feeling the shade and warmth of nature all around me moved me greatly.
Inspite of the little hardships of managing household chores with husband out-of-town on duty most of the time – each step that I took had a smile to it. My son spent seven years of his life growing up in such a beautiful ambiance. He watched the monsoon rains in full form. He helped me grow vegetables and flowers in my garden. He made friends with kittens and crows. He had a swell time. That’s why; even today I can sense his appreciation for flowers, animals and birds. I owe it all to out stint in a town truly blessed by God and Nature.
Today, gadgets, music and friends may have taken the fancy of my son. But, this much I know that his connection with Ma Nature will never get lost amidst the distracting banter of modern living!
Shail Raghuvanshi is a freelance journalist, content writer, editor, book reviewer and poet. She has 15 years of writing experience in newspaper, magazine, radio and television. She has worked as a Spoken English Teacher too. She runs a blog for writers called Write Space and blogs at her personal blog Muse N’ Motivation. A daughter, wife, mother and friend, she believes that there is no situation that can’t be made better. Faith, Friendship and Family are what makes her life complete.
