A spring like tendril!

Nature is a collection of surprise sights. A tendril from a passion fruit plant!

I like collecting the unusual sights from the garden. That is one way of increasing the sense of awareness and observation!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Flowers with long life!

Some flowers last for ever! I have noticed these flowers now crossing three months since they blossomed! That too looking fresh and richly colourful! They are special in a garden because summer or winter do not make any difference. They blossom all the time!

I was prompted to think about at human behaviour seeing this sight! Do I offer the same quality of hospitality when I welcome a family for consultation everyday! Do I talk to Anna thoughtfully and affectionately all the time! How do I relate to my colleagues on different occasions!

My behaviour is an index of my inner composure and wellness! Do I audit it regularly to leave behind a sense of goodness and kindness ! 

Do what I say and how I say sound good in the listener's ears! 

I ponder over these questions !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

Stillness of a butterfly!

Some butterflies behave like statues by their stillness!

Thos who can develop bodily stillness for short periods of time can grow into interior stillness or silence, gradually which is the beginning of the experience of becoming fully present to oneself. Our thoughts and aspirations fade away and we feel near to ourselves. To feel near to ourselves and not just to our thoughts all the time is a liberating experience. It is the way into a deeper consciousness of intimacy with God of our lives whose presence we can experience in interior silence.

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Harvesting from trees!

The rubber tree in our neighbour's property is now ready for harvesting milk for making rubber. It gives its yield in due time. With monsoon receding, all rubber estates are brimming with activity to resume rubber production. 

Watching the milk trickle into the receptacle safely kept to receive the milk was a sight worth watching!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo) 

Dragon flies of the day!

I find it difficult to keep a count of the dragonflies in our garden. Now my desire is to classify them at the end of the year!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Flowers that differ from the plant !

A plant which receives least of attention in our plant deck at home produced these flowers now this week. The plant has an ugly stem, long and slender leaves and not so desirable odour that even insects keep away from the plant.

I have been surprised by its colour in the pink range; the wavy funnel shaped petals, the central vein reaching till the tip of the petals, the narrow end of the funnel variant in colour; the wavy edges of the petals and its wide open mouth...I felt it that it gave me a filamentous feel. It  is neutral in odour!

This is the fifth day since the three flowers opened. From the fresh look of it, it seems to have many more days before the petals would wither away!

A tree is is known by its fruits, which is a Biblical metaphor from the sayings of Jesus of Nazareth.

The external appearance of a tree is no true revelation of the nature of its flowers or fruits.  A jack fruit tree does not have an impressive or elegant look, but it produces a fruit that  equals to a delicacy. So it is with a coconut tree. The slender and tall stem with the palm leaves do not appear attractive. But the kernel with its water inside well protected in a shell covered by layers of fibres is a fruit that has few comparisons with other fruits.

I live in  a culture, where height, weight, skin colour, heritage of the family, wealth, etc matter so much. They are just external things which ought to fade away from our thinking. What is seminal is  is the nature of the fruit a person bears! Fruits and flowers reveal the true nature of a plant or tree.

What we bring out from the heart, (conduct and character) to others matter a lot more than what is shown by our appearance. 

Jesus of Nazareth commented that, 'from the heart proceeds all things..' In fact what we speak from our heart can heal or hurt.

I feel good for the three flowers that differ from the appearance of the plant. The flowers enhance the plant and dispel all biases towards the palnt.

Get to 'know' people and not go by the appearance was what was told me by Dr Frank Garlick in 1976, when he visited me in the medical college hostel at Nagpur. 

These three flowers reminded me of that truth.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

Three in three !

I have been keeping a watch on these flowers for three weeks since I noticed them. 

They have a similar look. 

On a closer look, each flower bunch has three separate sets of flowers, each separated from the other arising separately from the stalk. 

Once the flowers are in full bloom they appear to be just one as the stalks get covered the hood created by the flowers.

Each species of flower has its own design. 

Nature is a museum of differences, each making its unique presence to express its identity!

The differences create the panorama! 

If only we can regard this as the way we are created to be, there would be less harassment of the Dalits and women in India.

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Banana with and without flower

Most banana bunches would have a flower at the tip. At least one variety I know does not have the flower.

I find banana without flower having an exquisite flavour and is a delicacy to me. Its market value is less than that of the bunch with flower. Many do not choose this variety. But some like me have a fancy for it. 

Most garden would have at least one bunch of this variety. So it is protected from being extinct although tis market value is not decent.

Certain things in life are to be within the purview of the freedom of the individual, but the leaning of the government in Delhi is to make most things acceptable to the majority common to all!

What a sorry state of affairs! We are being made to feel and behave like the prototype of the majority and not as an individual law abiding citizen !

 M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A giant Butterfly!

I spotted three large butterflies in our garden, one blue, another green and the third yellowish. Only the yellowish butterfly settled on any flower! But it was also fluttering its wings while resting on the flowers.

The post monsoon season is the breeding season for butterflies. In fact when we spot many butterflies after a rainy spell, it might be an indication of dry days ahead. The butterflies are better weather forecasters!!

It is only when we have a photograph, we can appreciate the richness of colour, design, symmetry and the elegance of a butterfly!

They need bushes, shade and foliage for their breeding!

They have an organic function of pollination. Beyond that,  they are objects of aesthetic and artistic benchmarks for a designer or artist working with colour on fabric or a canvas. 

The design on the wings and body of a butterfly springs within an artist a range of colour designs!

The butterflies are small, but we owe them a lot for their inspirational role in quickening the imagery of an artist!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Colourful presence!

I counted eight shades of colours in this croton plant. 

It is a plant which grows on its sown, needing least of attention. It is naturally colourful as long it stays  open to sunshine. 

Th sunshine creates this array of colours. 

We become more than what we can be naturally, when we let the sunshine of God, friends, colleagues and history touches us. The leaves stay open to the sunshine.

This comes to me as a challenge!

What does it mean to stay open!

There is  a asynchrony between our inward thoughts and outward actions. Th dichotomy is the opposite of this, that there is a contradiction between what we are inward and what we proclaim outside. 

I feel the pain of this while watching many instances in our national political leadership. There is a language of inclusiveness, welfare, and equal opportunity that the Prime Minister of India speaks about even on the Independence day. At the same time he seems to be less tolerant of others who differ with his ethos, style of leadership and approach to domestic and international issues. He does not just oppose them, but humiliates, intimidates and trivialises those who have a different points of view. When ever there is an opportunity, the present Prime Minister targets with malicious intent the former Prime Ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajeev Gandhi. It is the history of this nation the Prime Minister despises, by mocking the earlier leaders. Is he promoting a hate culture!

Th colours of life in our national life seem to be becoming sterile and pungent!

In a democracy, plurality of opinions converge to form the popular opinion. Now it is the majoritarian view that defines and prescribes the colours with no inclusion of differing opinions for consideration. 

I agonise over this!

Think of a croton plant with no colours!

Are we to give up or keep expressing our concerns!

The Hong Kong protesters give us a message! We have a role in deciding the destiny of our political process! and ethos!

The government of India celebrated the 73rd independence day while about 400 political leaders are in preventive imprisonment. Would the voice of reason prevail or the force of oppression! 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

The Water art !

I watch these sights almost every day in our garden- the wonder art of water! Whether it is after a drizzle or following the dew, this look of the leaves is stunning and captivating. 

This phenomenon of the water particles creating a decoration and design on the leaves continues to fascinate me even after watching this almost for seven years since we started living g inner cottage. 

There is an inherent capacity to turn to be ornamental and the rose plants to allow water to create the designs of its intent on their leaves. 

There is no planning or drafting of these designs prior to the arrival of water on the surface of he water. It happens naturally. 

Is not most of what we see in nature a work of art!

Look at the design of each leaf! There is a pattern, symmetry, proportion of sizes and a leaf design which  surprise me all the time. 

Between plants, this unique features of each plant does jot get repeated.

Nature is a story teller. 

Ruskin Bond received the stories from nature and turned them into written format of excellent narrational style as short stories and children' stories. The small and big events in nature which received his attention became the themes around which he spent about fifty years of life writing. 

The twilight scenes in nature are even more special! The light in its subdued state during that time gives a romantic touch to nature!

Nature is our provider. The art forms too are given to us from nature!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

All on one cloudy Sunday afternoon!

I counted fifteen butterflies in the lantana bush behind our kitchen this afternoon. There were more. But it too difficult to spot all of them as some looked similar.

It was an amazing and exhilarating sight.

I expected to see butterflies as it was dry for most of the morning and the afternoon was cloudy.  Usually after a spell fo rains the butterflies gather around flowers in good number.

There were some romantic sights as well!

Anna an di feel reviled to have such a rich collection of butterflies in our backyard.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Farm produce for the city!

The fields in front of us used to be for rice cultivation during my childhood. Now the land is used for cultivating tapioca. It is easier to cultivate them and the farmer gets good return from this. The pine apple and tapioca cultivation are common in rural areas.

The truck owner told me that they are transporting this load to Ernakulum. 

That is when he told me that the city dwellers depend on farm produce from rural areas. The tapioca is sold at four times the price of purchase from the farmer. 

This is the basic struggle for the farmers all over the country. As farmers do not have a net work of marketing facility, they get less than half of what they rightly deserve fo rather produce. The farm distress can be partly overcome if there is a direct purchase policy where the farmer sells to the end user through co-operative marketing. This happens for milk, coconuts, etc.

I come across farmers giving up on farming and selling their land! This is another criss in evolution!

Does any one care!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

During the in between time !

There was a short gap of of twenty minutes when the rain stopped and to my surprise, I found all the above visitors rushing for honey! Th abetter cups remain open for about two hours in the morning. During that time, normally honey bees are  the regular visitors for gathering honey. 

It was different today! 

After three days of incessant rain or drizzle, we had a respite which gave a window of opportunity for all those hungry beings. 

The opportunities last often for a short time for doing was what is necessary for that occasion. 

It was after three weeks, i was well enough to do some spring cleaning of my cupboard oaf books in the department. What seemed to be a safe cupboard from insects had three cockroaches hiding in behind the stack of books. 

It was there months since I dusted the books, although almost every day I would have taken a book to refer and place it back. 

I delayed to dust and clean and the consequence was risk at at my door step. 

What these morning visitors to the buttercups did was : Cease every opportunity!

For the insects it was the challenge of survival when honey gathering was denied to them by rain.

But for most of us the issue is different ! How can we use every opportunity to be altruistic! In a fast changing economic climate, when the have-nots are struggling to exist, there are plenty of opportunities to reach out to them with mindfulness to reduce the stress of living!

Use every opportunity to bring wellness to others!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A dragon fly !

If you are a dragon fly fan, the monsoon season is a time to look out for them. Usually they are around water pools as that is where they breed. But during the rainy season they might migrate to safer places. 

When I spotted this blu bodied dragonfly, it started drizzling. It stayed on the slender leaf of the hedge plant and flicked the body a few times to arian the water away form its wings. It was worth waiting in the drizzle to watch this behaviour of the dragon fly, till I could not protect the camera from the down pour! 

It has its way of surviving in a hostile environment. 

Yesterday, I felt overcome by the challenges at work and finding new obstacles that I had not anticipated. I came back drained of the spirit to pursue! 

Behold, what I spotted after getting down from the car was, this dragon fly resting in the slender leaf even when the wind was blowing and a drizzle had started. 

One great disadvantage of a efficiency driven or success driven management policy in health care is that people might get trivialised. Who they are become less significant than what hey can do! It is a short sighted view of management as people with motivation and sense of calling last longer and contribute better than people who are driven by fear or pressure to conform!

The dragon fly is fragile but its resilience in withstanding the wind without getting blown away was a sight that left a message of hope in my thought! 

I felt relieved watching this sight after the turmoil in the afternoon!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)