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By: HG Indulekha dd
“So much food we are taking from market which is contaminated, impure food, because most of the food people doing using chemicals. But this food is not wholesome. Not organic food. Therefore there are many diseases, many serious diseases. This commercial oil is very bad for the health. Therefore it is important that we offer to the Lord and to the Lord’s devotees the food that is pure. Krishna is pure. He is pavitra. The purest. We should offer what is pure to Krishna and His devotees.”
(Conversation, HH RP Bhakti Raghava Swami on Cow Protection & Varnasrama)
“An agrarian lifestyle , not an urban lifestyle, is meant to be the norm and standard for the vast majority of citizens, including devotees.
Education is not everyone’s right, it is a privilege accorded to those who qualify and are deserving”.
(cf Towards a Global Varnasrama Culture, Chapter-3, Killing the higher principles of Life – Pp 55)
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When the whole world is debating on global warming, it makes sense, if I want to do my bit to help environment by utilizing the little space around my house by converting it into a beautiful lawn of flowers or starting a small kitchen or herbal garden. When there is a lot of concern about pesticide, artificially grown food and adulterations, a kitchen or herbal garden will make one fall in love with freshly homegrown veggies. After many trial and errors, I learned to choose the plants according to the type of environment, in terms of shade, sunlight, heat and air. The soil should have all types of nutrients and minerals to support the help plant’s growth. Manure should be the prime source of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. It should also be rich in bacteria. To protect all these nutrients soil should be mulched, which is a very important factor. This helps to maintain the temperature and humidity of the soil. Mulching also prevents it from pest attacks and aids in regeneration of the soil. The microbial action takes place where soil is loose and protects the roots. In case of, infestation of plants, we use neem oil, castor oil, a mix of chilli and ginger extracts. If required we use Neem astra, Agni Astra also. We’ve also planted flowering plants that act as a natural pest control agent. A few flowering plants attract bees, flies, butterflies which help in pollination; it’s the main thing in one’s garden for fructification of vegetables and fruits. This facilitates in cross pollination also. I collect the grass dry leaves, skins of fruits and vegetables, leftovers of food, mix it with curd and keep it in a bio-compost pit, covered with manure, sand and rotten leaves, converting it into organic manure. A very important source of manure is cowdung which I get from my farm. By regularly adding it every 15-20 days, I came to observe appearance of many earthworms and other organisms which help in soil fertility, in making jeevamrita etc. I sourced the saplings, seeds from my farm, I exchanged them with my friends. We save seeds of the fruits, vegetables for next plantation. It’s my interest and passion that turned me to do a full-fledged garden comprising vegetable plants, fruit-yielding trees/plants, flowering plants, and decorative plants. There should be a proper planning in placing the pots. Pots have to be placed in rows in east-west direction so that they get adequate sunlight. Kitchen garden is interlinked with the modes of nature. This helps one to transform into mode of goodness, by producing one’s own natural grown fruits and veggies, and consuming them. Naturally grown flowers, fruits, veggies when offered to the Lord and consuming that remnants is really tasty and invigorating. For the pleasure of the Lord we have arbi, lemon, curry leaf, ginger, tumeric, ground nut, pomegranate, guava, pumpkin, ash gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, drumstick, mango( two varieties), brinjal, beans, three varieties of jasmine, rose of two colors, spinach, malabar spinach, coriander, fenugreek greens, citronella, ixora, wood apple, champa, chickpea, neem, mexican basil, tulasi.
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Kitchen garden is a nice, cool, and a green place to relax. Most people use the terrace only to dry clothes or to dry a few groceries etc. Many think that having a terrace garden is a complex affair, but it is not so. According to me it’s better pharmacy – where “our food is our medicine”. “Gardening is a medicine that does not need a prescription or any limit in dosage.” Kitchen garden helps in many ways, as first aid too. A few plants help as repellants, keep snakes away, help in cuts, wounds and burns. Kitchen garden also add to the aesthetic value and bringing down the temperatures.
I feel everyone should grow organic garden on the terrace or balcony or the place one has around the house to tackle the effects of climate change, which is the need of the hour.
How gardening helps kids?
As my kids are Home Schooled, I made gardening as a part of their curriculum. Kids learn best when all their senses are engaged. With gardening, kids can touch and feel the soil, seeds and flowers, see the vibrant colors and varied sizes of the plants, hear the sound of the vegetable when it is taken from the plant and smell the amazing fragrances of the flowers. Allowing all the senses to be involved help kids understand and grasp the concept of gardening. It encourages kids to eat fruits and vegetables which lead to a healthy lifestyle. Scooping up the dirt, placing the seeds in the pots and pouring the water, all takes fine motor control and strength. As kids garden, they develop important motor skills that will help them improve their academic skills such as writing, cutting and typing. Gardening is a great way to teach kids about responsibility. Kids learn that they have to take care of their seeds each day in order for them to become healthy plants. To help, you can make a checklist that kids can use to make sure they care for their plant every day. It teaches kids patience, as germination or for fruiting it takes time. It also enhances the ability of planning and organizing, like You have to know what flowers bloom during which season of the year, how long it takes a seed to germinate, turn into a vegetable; when is the best time to plant your seeds. Involving kids in this process helps increase their planning and problem solving skills. It also enhances their organizational strategies which can be helpful in every facet of life!
Finally, having patience and seeing hard work bear flowers and fruits we get ready to tend, prune them and weed out the extras. Once it’s ready, we will be tempted to do yoga, exercise and meditation there besides finding oneself lazily spread atop a swing reading newspapers or browsing your mobile. This also transforms oneself in mode of goodness, stay connected to the cows and land. This is also a small jungle where many birds, bees, butterflies etc start getting attracted to garden and enjoy, which is again an enjoyment to observe the Lord’s creations. “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” It’s all magic of the soil and cowdung, makes one believe in the almighty God.
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