G is for 'Gardening'

Gardening is a great hobby for the youth and the aged alike. My cousin who is about 19- 20 years old has a green thumb and has a collection of over 120 plants in his house. He is on Instagram as https://www.instagram.com/theleafiestboy/

My dad, too, has tended to his little garden in our backyard and to the pots in our balcony for the last five years. He has raised 31 types of plants in our small garden, which includes evergreen, medicinal, flowering and house plants as well. My dad bought some of these plants from a nearby nursery and watered them and gave them fertilisers. Unfortunately, there are natural calamities like droughts, floods, cyclones etc, which can affect the plants. So a gardener has to toil hard to maintain a garden.

My dad says gardening teaches a person the virtues of patience and gives them an appreciation of nature. He says one has to understand seasons, weather, light and shade, the water table, soil conditions, air quality, composting, etc before one can grow a garden.

It can be said that if plans cannot survive in an environment, it is unsuitable for human and animal habitation as well. A garden is a lovely vantage point to observe birds, squirrels, butterflies, insects, worms, etc.

One must know the lifecycle of plants whether they are seasonal, biannual, annual or perennial and the time it takes to flower or bear fruit.

A flower garden is a visual treat while a kitchen garden is practical at a time like this. It is very difficult to grow exotic species in a local environment, so although decorative plants might look appealing in a nursery, one must desist from buying them and planting them in one’s garden.

Some plants purify the water and air and are excellent chemical factories. Unfortunately, there are as many people wanting to clear up greenery and concretize spaces as there are people who want to raise gardens. That is why the earth has come to this stage.

Comments

I is for 'Insect Collecting'

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O is for 'Online Learning'

What better time than the lockdown to pursue an online course? I have done three courses on LinkedIn so far during this period, but I would love to do more courses on other platforms as well. LinkedIn enables you to download a certificate and also add it as a skill on your LinkedIn profile, once you complete the course. Now, so many reputed universities and Ivy League colleges are offering free courses online. Have you checked out https://online-learning.harvard.edu/ ? Udemy is offering courses starting from Rs. 420 for Shuttl users. Instapoet Rupi Kaur conducted a live writing workshop online earlier this year. BYJU’s, Unacademy, Vendantu and Coursera are having special offers and limited free access to their learning material. There is no better time than the present to upskill. Learning is a lifelong process. The half-life of an engineering education today is only three years, so it becomes crucial to keep learning after graduation or post-graduation. It is best not to str

How hobbies can enrich one’s life

Everybody needs a hobby. Some people are naturally more predisposed to boredom. These are the creative ones that if encouraged and nurtured can go on to change the world. But before they save the world, they need to save themselves. As the saying goes, no one can pour out of an empty cup. Many artists and creative folk are prone to listlessness and depression. They need hobbies to keep them afloat in choppy seas and help them tide over challenges. Sometimes, they are prone to dark moods and anger, too. The only way to heal is through staying engaged creatively. What will help is to stay amidst verdant surroundings in a peaceful place with few disturbances so that one can delve into one’s artistic self and draw from the wellspring of creativity that lies within. It must be tapped because unless one uses it, one loses it. It’s just like one’s grey cells. It needs regular honing and application. Creative people owe it to themselves, if not to the world, to try to create, even through th

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