Day 233-2011 : Nature's Bounty

Last weekend I was in Nashik at my Chitappa's (uncle) place.  I spent some time getting acquainted to what my uncle has been working on for some years and now feel compelled to write a post about it.  Parvathy Nivas at Date Nagar, very close to the banks of the river Godavari, is a decent sized bungalow in a residential area.  However, it is a great example of how one individual can contribute to the green cause and make an impact.

It all started years ago when my uncle, Ramesh Iyer, bought the place and built a bungalow in a part of Nashik which was inhabited by few.  The house today, though surrounded by many rows of concrete now, has more greenery than one can imagine.  All a result of years of painstaking effort put in by one man and his family who are passionate about nature.

As soon as you step into the gate, there is a remarkable difference in temperature, even evident in a city which anyways has a very pleasant climate for most of the year.  If you are expecting to see a perfectly landscaped garden as is the case in most city households / complexes, you will be dissappointed.  Instead what catches your attention is the way in which the garden has been allowed to develop naturally.  In fact, my uncle says, this is not a garden, it is a jungle. 

And it surely has all the interesting elements of a jungle, especially the element of surprise.  The first interesting thing that strikes you is the use of waste material in the garden.  Coconut shells, broken pipes and plastic bottles have been used to create a vertical, hanging garden.  These specimens are found hanging all over in the garden, on the gates and even inside the house!  Space isn't a constraint here, however, such hanging gardens are I think, ideal for people who live in flats in cities and have very little space.

Ingenious use of waste materials as a hanging garden

You will be surprised to find a small pond inside the compound.  This small pond boasts of not only many types of fishes, but also frogs and turtles.  Lotus and lilies grow in pond.  The pond is at the base of an artificial waterfall made in the garden.  The thick vegetation in the garden is home to, believe it or not, more than 60 species of birds, not captive, but living out of their own will there.  There are a couple of bird feeders, which is filled with seeds at all points of time.  The house also has nesting boxes for birds!

A Bird Feeder

Nesting boxes for birds

One of the most interesting spectacles that I witnessed on this visit was the Tailor Bird's artistry.  The mother had clinically sewn up three leaves, by her beak, in a camouflaged corner of the garden to make a comfortable nest for laying her eggs.  The eggs had hatched when we were there and we could see the chicks ensconsed in the comfort of the cotton and cloth cushion made by the mother Tailor bird inside the nest.

The Tailor Bird's Nest

Next up was the kitchen garden, where many fruits and vegetables are grown.  Papayas, custard apples, blue berries, coconuts and lemons were all there.  All of it is for self consumption or giving away as gifts to guests and relatives.

However, the most interesting part of my uncle's work has been the creation of many terrariums.  Terrariums are enclosed ecosystems built on a smaller scale for raising plants, with controls for environmental conditions.  He is now an authority on terrariums and hosts and lectures school children on environmental trips regularly in his garden.

Terrarium

Another terrarium - Bottled Beauty

Apart from the various requests from schools and colleges, Ramesh Iyer's work for nature has been recognised in the local circles and he is now invariably a part of any initiative on the environment in the city.  Due recognition for all the tireless efforts I would say. 

However, the journey has not always been easy. There have been irritants such as neighbours, who objected to the thick growth of vegetation inside the house, complaining about the possibility of insects troubling them!  Needless to say, all such complaints by people who have never ever planted a tree in their lives have been dealt with tact and strength of will over the years.

Kudos to this man and his impressive commitment to nature.  I hope many more will follow in his footsteps and join him in increasing the fast depleting green cover in our cities!

Take care.