Nature - Her Natural Friend

The images of this particular day are still vividly etched in my mind. My five year old daughter and I were sopping in the first spate of afternoon monsoons of the season - jumping between the mosaic squares on the concrete driveway trying to catch up with the water flow. When the sun came out, doling its share of rainbow glow in the horizon we followed it up chasing the spirited grasshoppers and butterflies amongst the rain drenched blossoms.

Our visits to Lalbagh or Cubbon Park used to have some bit of anxiety associated with it – to keep an eye on my daughter wandering in the vastness of the open area. Invariably, responding to the free spirit of the places, she would either start playing with the butterflies running around the trees with her toddling footsteps or get into a game of hide and seek taking shelter amongst the flowery bushes. She essentially used to be more at home in those places than at home.

Both of us have graduated through the years - our mode of expressions might have changed a bit but the love affair with nature has remained intact.

“Who doesn’t get smile on their face when touch-me-nots bow down at the mere touch of tender fingers or while watching the larvae grow in the surrounds of  the lake nearby?” my daughter, now ten years old, asked me the other day.

The rejuvenated Kaikondrahalli lake , a lifeline for all of us in the nearby community, is a soothing shelter for local flora and fauna and of course to the migratory birds from far away land – Siberia and Antarctica to be specific. My daughter is a regular visitor to this lake park from the time she has taken up nature club as her hobby.

The weekly walk around the lake is the best time spent and we, as a family long for these slots. The fresh air, the walking trails, the bird sanctuary and on top it all, the pristine water body is the hidden slice of nature in the midst of all the concrete jungles.

Our Bird House- similar to this

Migratory Birds and Grasshoppers @ the lake 

The bird house above the flower potted garden in our balcony is something close to her heart and she is not satisfied entrusting anyone - other than herself, with feeding the birds or watering the plants.

With such a deep bond with nature, when I showed up the home page of the Kissanpur to her, a bright smile played on her face accompanied by a sparkle in her eyes.

“Baba, Kissanpur looks so cool and lush green. The tomatoes are ruby red and glittering with dew….No wonder all the jams, jellies, squashes and ketchup are so fresh”, she exclaimed.

“Shall we plan to go there for few days during your summer break”, I enquired.

“Why not ? We might get to shower in the squash fountain ( a name synonymous with squash drinks in Indian household) or the ketchup pool. I am sure there will be some mystery worm or butterflies in the air around us”, her imagination ran wild with the big smile.

The more we got into exploring Kissanpur, the more surprises were in store for us. The affability of the friendly little girl welcoming us at the gate was enough to immediately bind us with the place. The lush green beauty, hardly available nowadays, was  soothing and comforting to the tired eyes of city dwellers.

We wanted to put the time on hold and get soaked into every bit of what Kissanpur had to offer. It gave us a feeling of getting lost in a vast infinity of green where each moment revitalizes every pore of your body and mind.

Farm hunting – to save the nature from the wicked mongoose  is the game we liked most besides air hocky and farm fury.

On our return from Kissanpur the next day, albeit with a heavy heart not able to spend more time, we ran to the store to get the tomato seeds to start growing into our small garden.

On reaching home, she vanished for sometime and came back with below.

Love For Nature

The Orange Sun setting in the purple background,

(Here) All is quite, not a single sound.

Oh!, how this enchants me, I do say,

Everyday I love seeing nature’s play.

From the crawly earthworm to the majestic tiger,

And the red eyed ravens to the eagle fighter.

Nurturing a life in my own hands,

And taking it to Kissanpur- Nature’s land.

The smell of raindrops during the first rain,

Drenches me completely, rubbing off all the pain.

After the first showers, through the dewed grass,

Running after butterflies – the color of the brass.

Everyday I sit looking at you in leaisure,

Thank you mother nature,for giving us this treasure.

As they say, happiness grows when shared; I would like to share with you all, yet to make a visit to Kissanpur, the locations below where you will be able to gulp a scoop of the green vibrant happiness along with your family, especially with the little ones.

Kissanpur Around you

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This is a post for the #NaturesFriends contest by Kissan and Indiblogger.