A Rural Life

Untie my wind-tangled curls

in the cold mountain waterfall,
when silvery rounded pebbles
leave a mossy kiss on my bare feet.

Discover winding unknown ways
through gurgling giggling waters,
on the gentle rhythmic strum of
swaying coconut palms.

Coucal’s songs echo musically,
from the shaded green valley foliage.
Promise me a brown-winged appearance
reserved only for the lucky few!

As bamboo leaves rustle,
over the emerald green pond,
catch a blurry blue flight of a kingfisher,
on the stony fabric all around.

An apprehensive dive
into the flowing river,
knows not what
toes aflutter might step on...

As a dry leaf drifts
upon the rippled water sheet,
let my heart tune in
to hum at the same frequency...

Along the mangrove-fringed backwaters
Steer the boat calmly forward,
as eagles and black ducks fly low
to touch the ruffled wild waves.

An idyllic lighthouse gracefully poses,
upon the blue-grey muffled horizon,
watchful of the angry roaring sea
that bursts onto fish -flavoured coasts.

From the wise ocean to the knowing river,
the still lake to the restless stream,
memories freeze within raindrops,
then overflow from many -a kohl-lined eye.

A life less urban,
wrapped in the rustic rural,
with bitter sweet festive emotions,
I get to savour one year at a time!

:: Family gatherings with monsoon escapades in the Western Ghats in India this summer ::

#vagamon #indianmonsoon #rurallife #kerala #naturescapes

The Survivor

When we moved to this house, I brought along with me all my potted plants. The largest one amongst them was my frangipani. When I saw the community garden, I thought it was the perfect place to replant the frangipani and let it bloom freely in the deep soil, beyond the confines of the pot. With the help of the kind gardener, I planted it next to the entrance to our block. This was back in 2022 when our dear shrub was just about a metre tall.

Last winter, with all the refurbishment and waterproofing works in the community garden, my favourite frangipani was in danger. I decided to take a chance by moving it into a large planter until they finished the repair work. Many of the larger trees with thick roots did not survive this process. They were mercilessly removed from their place.

I continued to water the frangipani through these difficult months of its confinement, with a hope that it would survive.

Last spring, when finally all the work was completed and the garden was transformed with new soil, new grasses and some new plants, my brave survivor found a fresh new opportunity to grow. With the help of the kind gardener again, I transferred my frangipani on the other side of our entrance, safely tucked away next to the balcony, from where I hoped to touch its leaves and flowers.

It's been three to four months now and our dear survivor has branched out till the balcony. I see the thick bunches of white plumeria flowers and I remember my *Frangipani Fest with the other favourite frangipani trees from a year ago! Sadly, none of them are in the garden now. They did not survive…

I see Ginger and Simba, the oldest two cats from the neighbourhood very happy to have their favourite hiding places back again. However, there is no sign of our dear cat Rumi. She never returned…

But our lone survivor, Miss Frangipani has now reached the first floor, spreading her roots and branches freely. I feel so happy, she is officially a tree, who survived and is thriving, showering us with many fragrant white blossoms.

Sometimes, my life in this country feels like the frangipani in the confines of a large pot ... All these years, there was room in the pot. But now, the roots have no space to spread any more. I kept replanting myself into different kinds of pots of different shapes and colours. But there is no free space to explore. Slowly the branches, like shoulders, start to droop down; leaves, like hair, begin to fade out and solitary flowers, like aspirations, display a dejected bloom.

I am waiting to find a permanent deep moist earthy setting to call this soil my own, to confidently take root and openly spread out my branches carrying happy blossoms and birds on bright sunny hopeful days.

Aren't we all survivors of some kind?

* Frangipani Fest - https://quiethappiness-tasha.blogspot.com/2023/11/frangipani-fest.html

Quietude

Four white-eared Bulbuls were having an important discussion in the garden this morning. Two of them, perched upon the edge of the birdbath and the other two hovering in mid air, circling around occasionally, trying to make dramatic performances!

They continued to debate endlessly, while the pair of laughing doves on the parapet wall heaved a hooting sigh and finally gave up on their turn at sipping the cool waters.

I was waiting in stillness next to the slender armed graceful olive tree that was creating dancing shadows on the sun-washed white walls. The garden needs to be watered, I pondered, before the already harsh sun rises higher up in the dust-lined summer noon sky, casting a blinding spell.

When I am in the garden, I wonder, am I not supposed to be working at this time… When I am at work, I miss being home at odd hours to witness the dialogue that happens between the flora and the fauna.

Not everyone will understand why one chooses to take a healing break for themselves from time to time. The bulbuls, I felt, were actually cheering for me and supporting my life decisions!

The birds kept gossiping . I watched them silently… just grateful for such ironical quietude Life gives us, by serendipity.

Solitary events, crafted coincidentally, completely ours to be savoured deliberately. It's in such still moments, collaged together, that Life compiles the mixed tape of unsung melodies.

#summerbreak #healyourself #creativehibernation #findyourzen #quietude 

:: My Zen garden and the Birdbaths:: 

Wildflower

When unable to re-root,
in dull dry sands,
how many fancy new pots
shall I try to be replanted in!

Away from this unaccustomed earth,
I long to spread my boughs,
standing tall in soils of familiar fragrance,
I’d been calling home…

With foliage touching the vast blue sky,
to be a reflection, I wish,
of a self, deeply implanted
into well known lands, I belong.

Unaware of our own wingspan,
as we attempt to stretch out fully,
standard sized doors are not wide enough…
That's our cue to break free
and let the soul out to breathe…

What may seem like the end,

is perhaps a transformative reset.

For what you are reaching out to
is possibly waiting for you as well!

Tree Story

My relationship with trees started from my childhood days when I used to spend the entire vacation in my grandmother’s garden. As a little girl, I loved to play alone, immersed in dreamland, in cool tree shades against the bright summer sun.  My best friend was a “chikoo“ tree (Manilkara zapota), an evergreen tree with a textured bark, dark green leaves and soft brown fruit that is especially loved by crows! I used to whisper my secrets to the tree, hug the tree bark when I was sad and kiss the leaves when I was happy! Little did I know of the therapeutic benefits of this exercise back then!

I remember a game called “Tree to Tree” that I used to play, back in the day, with my sisters and a group of neighboring friends. This game can be played around minimum three trees. The number of players needs to be one more than the number of trees. Each player must hold onto one tree and then keep exchanging trees with the other players from time to time. While the players continue to exchange trees, the extra player must grab a tree. The player left without a tree becomes the “denner”. This is just one of the countless games that we played with and around trees.

An urban life, as a working mother, allows me less chances to get carried away in this childhood connection. I miss having a huge tree in the garden, its branches spreading to the first-floor balcony, offering me natural hiding places for mysterious conversations and wild encounters with birds, cats and butterflies.

Somewhere, the mother in me wants my boys to experience similar natural wonders. And hence, as a landscape architect, all these years while designing playgrounds I kept exploring what the best urban play element can be.

Recently, I attended a landscape and playscapes summit that discussed about the design of play spaces and how, in these times, we often tend to overthink a playground in terms of safety and regulations.

As children, we learnt to climb trees, often fell off trees and scraped our knees. The tree branches became a swing and the tree trunk, a climbing bar! Trees taught us many important lessons of life…and that’s exactly what a play element is supposed to do! And thus, I got my answer!

A tree is the best play element for any playground! --- in any part of the world, for a wide range of age groups, providing shade and play value at the same time. Whether it is hanging, climbing, balance, movement, swinging or imaginative play, a tree becomes a combination of various play elements in one and can holistically contribute to the overall development of a child from early years.

Let us bring more trees back to the playgrounds. Let their branches weave through many a childhood story…

Amiss

Pale-yellow jasmine petals,

from an exotic garden, recall

their forgotten wild bloom.

In My City

I came to Abu Dhabi back in October 2006 after getting married in September 2006, looking for a new life. Today I have completed ten years in this city...and a decade of married life. Ten years, ten countries, ten thousand memories, ten million inspirations and some special memorable events --- the most important being the birth of my boys in this city. Amidst six years of parenthood and ten years of professional experience, my quiet Happiness --- my own published book of poems peeps out proudly from my book shelf and reminds me of the most amazing mix of work, home, travel and kids this city life has given me.

But the real sense of satisfaction comes to me when I see a park designed by me sitting complete along the streets of this city . This park at Al Adla on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi has associated my name with the city forever.Its picnic areas, play areas , plaza and sports fields make me feel that I have, in a humble way, contributed to the image of the city. What can be more satisfying than to see my boys play in the park designed by their mum! This has been a dream come true for the landscape architect in me as well as the mother. To see each line I sketched, now real on the city fabric.... to see each space I visualised, now become an experience. 

The fact that my design turned into reality in a city that I can call my own is an endearing node along my mindroads. There have been times when I felt lost and disoriented. But today, I have the quiet happiness not only by my side, but also inside me. I am in Abu Dhabi but often take little memory trains to Pune, where I was born and raised.I live in both cities at the same time. 
After a decade of wandering self exploration through writing, poetry, art, architecture, travelling, photography and juggling it all with motherhood and homemaking, I find a sense of belonging to this place... of being protected and grounded ...where inspiration finds me once again.

#aladlapark #landscapedesign #parksbytasha #playgroundsdesign #landscapesouterandinner