Meeting two inspiring Men !

During a visit to an eco-tourism project and a bird sanctuary a few days ago with our friends, Anna and I met two people who live pursuing their passion! They walked the less travelled path to bring something useful for others to experience. 

The first person was Mr Rajappn, who developed a farm  near the  Kodanad elephant training centre,  to give an experience to the visitors about the way of living close to nature from the produce of the land. It is a farm where agriculture, fishery, poultry, and floriculture co-exist. It has a museum of farm implements that takes us back to the farming practices which existed about seventy five years ago. The children's park created in the natural setting of trees and plants is a pleasant place to be in. A steam meandering in the five acre property feeds the plants and trees. A home stay facility with a swimming pool is an attraction to tourists. Mr. Rajappan developed this facility in memory of his parents who owned the land at the edge of a reserved forest. For him, trained in agricultural science, it is an opportunity to show forth the heritage we have in nature.  He views his garden as a place to experience living peacefully and mindfully. He had a beaming look, when he showed us the corner where there is a butterfly farm and a stretch of flowers that feed nectar to  honey bees. 

The second person whom we met, was Mr Joemon in the bird sanctuary at Thattecad. Having been trained in hospitality industry, he had an interest in being a friendly host to the visitors. Since he lived close to the bird sanctuary, he accompanied tourists for bird watching. That initiated an interest in birds and their habitat that he became an avid student of different species of migratory and endemic birds in south India. He came to accompany us with three binoculars and a lacer beam, which was more than an illustration of his interest to get the tourists to experience sighting birds. He is well informed about bird sanctuaries in the southern states.  He took us deep into the forest where some birds spend the day time. That is how Anna and I had an experience of seeing some birds which we had not so far seen! During the four hours of morning walk of about six kilometres through the forest, we noticed how Mr Joemon had an eye to sight and track birds and an interest to make visitors bird friendly! He is widely travelled in south India with insightful information about bird habitats in the bird sanctuaries. He conducts guided tours to these places. 

A the end of these two visits, Anna and I returned with warm thoughts about the two men, who found a way of living by bringing cheer and insights to others ! They did not appear to be doing a job, but enthusiasts and messengers of their areas of interests! They had an inspirational dimension and relational attitude! 

Both of them were pursuing a less travelled path, in response to a deeper call of living !

Such experiences bring refreshment and renewal of hope about the goodness of people around us!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

 

Flowers, Fruits, and Friends.

Anna and I had a two days of visiting gardens and a bird sanctuary with our visiting friends! Such experiences leave memories that encourage and last!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

 

Peace is the natural way!

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I found this unusual sight in the jackfruit tree in our garden. Some fruits are resting on the ground. Most of the Frits are hanging in the stems supported by its strong stalk as seen hit photo below !

It is not common for a jackfruit tree to bear fruits at its bottom part of the stem making the fruits rest on the ground! 

It is a surprise sight to watch in our garden! 

While discussing it with our gardener, he suggested that it is on account of the top portion of the main stem which was pruned last year to arrest its leaning upward growth. Having been denied upward growth, it is adjusting to a different way to bear fruits! 

This is a 'responsive behaviour' of a tree to give more fruits although pruned, denying its upward growth! When hurt, a tree responds by giving more! 

The history of war in Gaza originates with a 'retaliative  behaviour' of Israel to terrorists killing Jews about twenty months ago. Israel dragged the USA to support its retaliative attacks, which spread to Lebanon and Iran. Now it has become a 'third world war', although some nations would like to avoid seeing it as a world war. 

Violence begets violence, which I thought is a 'barbaric' habit! I recall how the post second world scene was a season of negotiation, pursuing peace and promoting cross continental engagements for climate control, health promotion and economic collaboration! 

The recent behaviour of some nations is an anticlimax to this norm that  allowed multilateral co-operation between nations with a few exceptions!

Now retaliatory behaviour is the norm! 

The Truth and Reconciliation commission of South Africa which its president late Nelson Mandela appointed with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as its chairman was an eye opener in resolving racial intolerance of several decades. The polarised position of two communities got resolved by a peaceful process of listening, discerning  and forgiving ! In fact it, it was a historic way of bringing national integration and reconciliation. 

I wish the leaders of the USA and Israel would draw their lessons from this reconciliatory process and withdraw from using violence to pay back violence! That does not align with a humane view of difficult situations! 

The jackfruit tree produced more fruits when it was pruned or 'hurt'! It expresses its 'giving' habit even by giving its fruits from the lowest part of the stem! 

Let me wish that the nations of the world would awaken to believe that  it is in giving, we upbuild and uphold each other! 

I wish that the leaders of nations would consider that violence and war are evil responses, but negotiations and consultations are civilised behaviours!

That is the message that I pick up from a pruned Jack fruit tree in our garden which has more fruits in this year !

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

   

 

The transitions of summer days!

The mid day temperature had gone ups 32 degree celsius two day ago in our garden! What surprised me was that the birds do not come to the feeding table for their feed regularly, but for their mid day bath!

We hear the birds chirp in the mornings and evenings in our garden. During the day, birds seem to look for cooler places elsewhere. 

The ants protect themselves in their nest during the summer dats. We notice similar nests in some nutmeg trees in our garden. 

There are summer blossoms in some trees. The Rambutan trees are flowering to bear fruits. 

The summer flowers bring delightful addition to the garden!

The refreshing touch all these sights bring is amidst the heat and humidity of the day! 

The garden brings harmony and wellness while they endure the heat of the day!

A call to live similarly when injustice and violence prevail during the season of war elsewhere !

 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

 

A home for all !

 

Two Stilt Bug nymphs on a rose flower in our garden ! They eat the flower petals and survive! When I notice the partially eaten rose petals, I searc for the insects. I noticed two of them on the same flower, which was unusual.  

The garden is a place of surprises and discoveries. 

Even such small insects have an assured habitat in a garden! What a mystery of the earth and its distributive justice! The garden has a message: a place for all! 

I felt fascinated by this sight! 

Each flower offers itself to bees, butterflies, and insects! That is the way of the plant life ! A plant exists also for its benefactor ! Each flower is an offering to others! 

It was a heartening message to begin the day! 

What is the purpose of being beyond my own interests! While buying some fruits from the market yesterday, the shop keeper gave me some tips to keep ripe banana fruits without getting damaged in the hot and humid climate. It was an unasked for advice! He went beyond his obligation!

While walking back with two bags, one each hand, a pedestrian offered to carry one to the car!

The gardener gave me instructions about transplanting a rose bush from its pot to the ground! 

Such experiences on one day, lifted my spirit and gave me renewed hope in the goodness around us!  

Such experiences help me to think beyond the stress and despair of the war in west Asia and Middle East!

We live in a global home where the order is wellness  and mindfulness of  all! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Given to receive !

The above photos from the morning walk in our garden brought an ensemble of events in the garden. All of them symbolise life, growth and formation !

The earth is bountiful ! The hymn that reminded of the blessings earth brings to us was:

' O lord my God, when I awesome wonder,

Consider all the works Thy hands have made 

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed

When through the woods and forest glades I wonder

And hear birds sing sweetly in the trees

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze....

Then sings my soul..."

A song of gratitude springs within when one is a witness to the provisions we receive from any garden! 

While Anna and I were attending on line, the service of the commissioning of the new director of the Christian Medical College, Vellore, Dr Biju George, a similar feeling of gratitude dawned on us. The CMC Vellore is in its 125 the year of service! 

When one is drawn by the reality of a giving God who gives to bless, another Hymn reminded me of the call to respond !

' O love that wilt not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in Thee

I give Thee back the life I owe,

That in Thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be. 

O Light that hollowest all my way

I yield my flickering torch to Thee. 

My heart restores its borrowed ray

That in Thy sunshine's blaze its day,

May brighter, fairer be...'

The ripple effects of the war in West Asia and the Middle East countries are palpable. When I called to book a gas cylinder yesterday, the message was to wait for 24 hours for the confirmation of the booking, unlike the regular response of confirming the date of delivery! It is a small inconvenience to us. But the what people face in the countries where the warfare is active, is devastation and grief! 

The earth is a place for all to dwell in unity and harmony!

It is that prayer that resonates in most human hearts at such a time of intense turmoil and turbulence! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

 

 

A hurt can bring growth!

 

The Christmas tree in our garden has a story beginning from 1997. This tree was in a pot, when it was given to us at Christmas time in 1997 when colleagues at Developmental Paediatrics Unit at CMC Vellore visited us at home. I remember the resident in the Unit Dr Mathula Thangaraj,  who chose this gift for us, wishing us that our time at CMC Vellore be a flourishing experience, as it was only a few months since we relocated from Chennai.  

The tree grew in a pot till 2012. When we began living in our cottage, we planted it in our front garden, which grew into a sixty feet tall tree leaning on to the cottage. This made it necessary to prune the tree to reduce its height.

For the last three years there were only sprouts in the pruned stem.  During the recent months, two shoots grew parallel to each other to continue its upward growth, which is what is in the second photo taken today. 

The tree was hurt by pruning and took a while to recover from the arrest of its award growth.

The touching aspect of this experience is that there are two shoots growing up now, from the earlier one stem !

The tree with one stem below shall now grow up with two stems above!

There is growth beyond any hurt and grief !

That is what this tree stands to announce to us in  our garden! 

I pause and reflect over this. A hurt can stunt the growth for a short time! But new life takes over to continue with even more vigour! 

I had memories of some hurts returning to me, while pondering on this theme of life ! The latter seasons after hurtful experiences became doors of opportunities to live with a new consciousness of acceptance and gratitude! 

The twin shoots of stem growing vigorously from where it was hurt, is a wake up call,  to process hurts patiently and wait for the good hidden which shall become manifest!   

Life is a journey of discoveries, healing and new growth experiences! 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)