Like Duck to Water, thats how I have taken to life :). This blog is the saga of love and adventures of a small duck in a large water body called LIFE....

********************************************************************************************* Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers *********************************************************************************************
Lilypie Third Birthday tickers *********************************************************************************************

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Nostalgia unlimited :)





Recognize this? I'm pretty sure my mom will be able to name it immediately ;-). I don't know whether this plant grows in places other than Karnataka. But its everywhere in Karnataka. It doesn't even need to be grown. Like a weed its found in empty fields and grows in your garden if you don't take care. Well, I have stretched it enough. The plant is called hulisoppu (meaning sour-leaves) in Kannada. People use it in cooking too. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found it, yup, here in Lexington, in my apartment lawn!!

I went crazy. Immediately plucked a leaf and put it in my mouth. Just like that, at that very moment, I was back. Back in my childhood. Back in the place where I'd use these leaves as a vegetable in my cooking games. Back in the time when I'd pick its tiny ladies-finger-like fruits, divide them equally, eat one half and stuff the rest into Darsh's mouth ;-). If I'd find more than 4 fruits then mom and dad also would get a share :).

Recently when we had been for a trek, I also found a small plant which grows with the grass. When I was about 10 years old, I remember, me and my friends would pluck its tiny pink flowers, put it in the folds of our white uniforms and press. The flower would leave a purple colour mark in that fold. We'd be proud that we had died the uniform a purple colur and mom would always wonder why my unifrom had these marks :-D. She probably thought those were the results of my ink pen ;-). So what do I, the so-called grown up, do when I see this plant here? Yup, I did pluck a pink flower, I did put it in the folds of my shirt, pressed it and was totally delighted at the purple mark it left :-D.

When I was in college studying pre-university, whenever we had free time, we would sit in the lawns at the college. There used to be a type of grass that would grow there. We'd pick the very young shoots of the grass, make a brush with about 10-20 of them and rub it against our cheeks. They'd be so soft and they'd feel wonderful against our cheeks :). Yup, you guessed it, I saw the same grass some weeks ago on a field. Yup, you guessed it again, I couldn't resist picking the young shoots again :).

Its so strange that such small plants have the power to bring back so many memories. But even more strange is the fact that the same plants are available half-way around the world!! I always had this idea that the vegetation here would be totally different. But I found as soon as I came here that the idea was a myth. I found sampige (champaka) trees, bougainvillea plants and many other flowering plants/trees that are found in Bangalore. And yes, they succeeded in taking me back to a world, a world I thought was impossible to go back to, a world I thought was out of my reach. The beautiful world of Childhood :).

9 Comments:


Neel Arurkar retorted...

I understand how you must have felt! Recently I made a salad(koshimbir) and that tasted just like the one mom makes at home! As you said, nostalgia unlimited :-)


Deeps retorted...

I know, I know!! Every time I cook, it basically comes out like how mom does it (as they all are obviously mom's recipes). But everytime, I say delightedly, "Its just like how mom makes it" :)).


Dewdrop retorted...

Amazing how even nature can set you into reminiscence. Talking abt plants, Ive seen some great varities out here, also the rare ones, which we dont see so often back in India


Amit retorted...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Amit retorted...

U already have so many relishing moments out here in US. I am
damn sure once u go back to India some things in India will bring
u back here in US...:-)It wouldnt be nostalgic but yes worth remembering.


Deeps retorted...

>> Dewdrop >>

Yeah :). And I agree with you about the varieties. I have seen daffodils, some berry blossoms and so many new plants. And every time I have taken photos ;-).

>> Amit >>

Man, you are so right!! I guess thats human tendency. Always living in yesterday. Today becomes yesterday tomorrow and you are nostalgic again :).


Sweet Nothings retorted...

Sweet!We used to do the same with the tiny pink flowers you mentioned.
This also reminds me of how excited I was when I found hibiscus trees and flowers in my apartment on my first day in this alien land.I don't know what made me think that there would be no hibiscus trees here.:-)


wise donkey retorted...

once again u make me appreciate the beauty of life:)


Deeps retorted...

>> On9thcloud >>

Glad to know atleast someone knows what I'm talking about (the pink flowers, I mean) :). And Hibiscus, yup thats one flowering plant I missed. I see them everywhere here :).

>> Gaya >>

:)