Beginning of a journey!

I noticed two Bulbuls arriving to be perched next to each other in our garden today morning. 

One of them gave audible bird calls to which the other Bulbul responded feebly!

If one were to go by the usual habit of Bulbuls, it might be the earliest stage of preparing for courtship!

I have a suspicion that the two Bulbuls might be the same ones who come to the feeding table together for a few days now. 

Knowing each other before courtship is a common practice among birds. One of them might even separate when the courtship was active for a while. Some bird watchers feel that the male bird has to impress a female bird  before becoming a pair. One way it is done is that the male bird habitually makes loud bird calls attracting female birds to reciprocate. 

In the photo above the female bird responded only feebly! So their story can be longer!

The fact that they stayed together to dry and groom their body for a while, might indicate that they are considering to be together!  

The avians also have their traditions, rituals and habits. 

How much more we ought to be regardful of birds and hospitable to them, knowing that they too have a structured life and practices! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A home is a protective cover!

The calyx with its sepals in the bud covers the petals of the flowers that are about to open.  

The protective function of the calyx is crucial for the flowers to be made ready to endure once opened. 

The calyx encloses the petals. 

When flowers open, they are ready to be exposed to light, wind, humidity and variable ambiences of weather.  

The open flower in the fullness of time appears with its exuberance of colour, fragrance and nectar! The flower is an offering to the beholder!  If Wordsworth seeing daffodils was aroused to write a poem, it was because of the enchanting effect of it on the human soul!

When I noticed an ant feeding on nectar from this flower, I felt even more moved by the gift or offering each flower is! The flower unconditionally offers itself! 

I wonder if parents would think of their children, that they are given to them to prepare them to become an offering !

For that to happen they need to be like the calyx providing a protective cover around them during their growing up and formative years!

What children need is moral conscience, social awareness, self-giving orientation, encounter with their true self and an aspiration to explore their potential and develop them to live fruitfully!

If this is parenting responsibility, then, more is needed by away of interactive ambience at home and in the classroom rooms. Children are to be more than receivers of information and knowledge; instead they are to be discerning and communicative to become themselves. 

A home is like a calyx, offering a formative and protective cover to a child!

One father told me that for the last ten years it was his habit to have a short walk with his two children almost every day, who are now becoming teenagers! He feels that he senses the thought world of his children from this experience. Their mother engages the children for a short time before dinner time to prepare the meal. She is therefore a confidant to her children!

What an example of a protective and formative cover to children !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The quiet presence!

 

A Bulbul, a rose flower, and a Pschye Butterfly were the first sights I noticed in the garden when I returned home after two days. Anna too have been away. This happened after  acknowledging the attention seeking barks of Dulcie and Daphne !

I felt truly welcomed by the barks of the dogs and the sights of these visitors in the garden!

The psyche Butterfly (Wandering Snowflake) is often difficult to photograph as they keep fluttering without needing a respite! This species of butterfly fly over the grass ands rarely leaves the ground. 

 They feed on nectar in small flowers. 

I felt good in having been able to get a photograph after sever attempts and watch it feed and rest after feeding. 

It is perhaps 1.5 cm long ! It has its own habitat and behaviour!

It is encouraging to know that a small butterfly also finds its place in the garden!

This is a profound message of hope when life is denigrated and dehumanised by rulers of the world by going to war !

The earth offers a place even to the smallest of beings!

Will the leaders of Israel consider that Palestinians are also entitled for a physical space to live ! 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

 

The dual mission!

 

The above photo is a rear view of the Chapel at the Christian Medical College, Vellore at the Bagayam campus. The corridor of the chapel joins with the Women's hostel on the right and with the college building on the left. 

This setting of the chapel connecting the living space and learning space intrigued me over these years. Someone who knew a lot about Dr Ida Scudder by researching into her life suggested to me that Dr Scudder might have wanted to symbolise the chapel as God's presence connecting  the living and learning experiences of students. 

St Paul in his sermon addressing the philosophers and wise men from Mars hill in Athens said '.. in Him we live and move and exist..' (Acts of the apostles 18:28). I find a connection between the dream of Dr Ida Scudder and St Paul's statement. 

It is God who facilitates our living and learning ! 

The Chapel connecting the living space of the hostel and the class rooms of learning is profoundly significant because the living and learning are symbolised as God centred experiences! 

Even after 125 years, the Christian Medical College earnestly practices a God-centric view of life, living and learning! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The colours of a garden at sunrise !

I watched this garden above around the Scudder auditorium at the Christian Medical College, Vellore changing the hues of colours during transition from twilight to sunrise. The pictures above when the sun rays covered the garden, created shadows on the foliage and lawn in the garden. 

At dawn and dusk the sun rays do not cover the garden, the garden has a uniform look without shadows. 

The shadows are protective! There are many plants and flowering trees that need shade for good part of the day. 

When I sat in the auditorium for a meeting later in the morning, it occurred how those who were singing or speaking or testifying, offered exhortation, encouragement, and anchor to younger people! The listeners were largely students. 

It is this that formed within me the complementarity of light, trees and shadow. 

The elders who initiate younger people into life, profession and vocation grow in their shadow. The elders are like the trees who give the safe space for the younger people to grow and blossom. 

It was while listening to a professor who is about to retire shortly, I picked up the cohesive concept of light, trees and  shadow. He was in the stage of handing over responsibilities to younger people. He told me that he was facilitating his younger members of the team to become trees who will offer protective shadow to younger professionals. He takes the clinical ward rounds only once a week to facilitate the younger people to move out of their safe presence in the shadow ! This professor reminded me that 'elders have been given to grow into trees that can give shadow to younger people to allow them to grow at their pace' !

The wisdom and knowledge seniors imbibed were given to them, according to St Paul, who said, 'What do you have that you did not receive' (I Corinthians 3:7) ! It is the sunlight that nurtures the trees! The trees fade away after a while for the saplings in the shadow to grow into trees. This is the essence of 'passing on the torch'. 

The garden of life consists of trees who create shadow to allow the growth of many !

The photo below is of a portion of the garden around our cottage, where birds come to feed and trees provide shelter to birds !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A change of season in the garden!

 

With the caterpillars appearing in the garden, soon the leaves and flowers would become the meal for caterpillars. For another two months. the choice is between using insecticide sprays and abandoning  leaves and flowers to feed the caterpillar. 

This is the dilemma every year during the pre-winter months. The butterflies of different varieties in our garden make the garden colourful during the most part of the year. So they use the garden to complete the life cycle during each season. 

What was left of a pink easter Lily that looked elegant yesterday, was  its stem this morning. Caterpillars thrive on some of these flowers and leaves. 

The Magpie robin, Bulbul, Greater coucal and Mynah birds feed on them. That is how the garden gets protected from an infestation with caterpillars!

This is the inherent ecological regulation which happens in any garden naturally. And Anna and I find seem to choose the path of co-existence. 

I know many do not accept my position on this matter! 

So we have cultivated hedge plants between our cottage and the gate, with plants which are the favourite feed for caterpillars. From now on till January these plants would remain bare without leaves as caterpillars consume them.  That arrangement that Anna planned worked well. We therefore have a caterpillar zone. But they migrate to the main garden like what happened this week!

It is a way of learning to live accepting the changes and challenges!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Interactive parenting presence !

I was delighted to watch how light conditions create different appearances to the flowers!

The colours are inherent, but the light conditions define the details and hue of the flowers!

The intensity of light and the exposure setting we use in the camera define the final colour complexion of a flower!

In one sense the light ambience in the garden affects the brightness of the flowers !

The ambience of a home offers children to develop the manners and behaviour they acquire while growing up years!

I feel disturbed how parents sometimes even consciously allow the ambience of the home to be influenced by the media world and the digital imageries. 

It is what a child sees and hears that would influence the inner world of thoughts, ideas, aspirations and values !

Many parents leave the ambience of he home to be regulated by what media brings home. 

I wonder parents would play a more responsible role by engaging children by creating an interface of conversation and communication during the mid childhood years. 

From the narratives from parents, I suspect that children drift toward the 'third parent', which is the visual media at home!

Just as the light conditions are critical to offer the range of colours to the  flowers, the ambience of intimacy between parents and children which evolve through planned and regulated interaction would make a formative contribution to children's  character, values, choices and way of life! 

A home provides the ambience to get children ready for life and living! That ambience is formed by interactive parenting presence!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)