The dry spell of about an hour yesterday, gave me an opportunity to walk into the different parts of our garden after about two weeks. I was looking forward to such an occasion. For two weeks now, it was raining and the garden was soaked in water! The vegetation had a new look.
The flowers and fruits caught my attention. There was abundance of freshness and newness in all of them.
We have three custard apple trees, and five mango trees in our garden. I noticed one custard apple and one mango fruit. Usually we have better yield from these trees.
As I was to return to the cottage, a surprising thought flashed through my mind. I felt grateful to have been able to take photos of these different sights in our garden.
The first time I saw someone taking an interest in the garden, and the sights all around, was in 1970, when late Dr Frank Garlick visited me in 1970 at Medical College, Nagpur, when I was a third year medical student. Dr Garlick used his camera to take photos. I was intrigued by his keen observational skills and interest to capture them.
It is now 44 years since I had had my first camera. But it was in 1987, I got familiar with a comment of Dr Garlick: 'We see with our eyes and take photos. Learn to receive the look of the object you take photo of'!
I got a glimpse of the depth of that statement, when I started taking photos of human faces, particularly of children. Their look was communicative of different moods and truth. Since I moved on to take photos of flowers and birds since 1997, I have been becoming more aware of the message which Dr Garlick left with me.
Two years ago, when Anna suggested that we publish a book on Bird movements-our responses, we became more familiar with what the look of birds can mean to us.
The table calendar we publish for ASHIRVAD for three years now, is a tribute to the flowers and birds, from whom we received messages of encouragement and insight.
The garden and the trees, plants and the grass on the ground. gave me yesterday, a feeling of being surrounded by life, which enrich our lives. The garden of trees and plants nourish us! They provide shelter to birds. They give us fruits and flowers. The honey bees and butterflies feed on the nectar. The fallen leaves become manure to the soil. The trees make the air oxygen rich. There is enough fruits in our garden for birds, squirrels and ourselves.
How life is nourished by the environment!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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