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I
t is said that we leave a
bit of ourselves behind
when we leave a place…
we stay there, even though
we go away. So it is, when
each subsequent transfer
carries us from one garden
to the next. We grow roots
where we stay, with the
place nurturing us as much as we do it. There’s that
little corner of the garden where one would disappear
to with a book; those lovely birds which would fly
down for some crumbs each day; that well-trodden
path one would take regularly for a walk; old, familiar
faces of the bungalow help, who had been family for
the time one had spent there…so many tiny things
which made our life beautiful. One not only misses
the people and place, but also misses the person one
was then, at that place, since one would never be this
way, ever again.
Tea children treasure their time spent in every garden,
for this is where their life’s milestones have been
made. Their memories are enchanting and
mesmerising. From hunting for fairies and pixies
among the flowers, to learning to admire and
respect nature as young adults, they have indeed
been so fortunate to have grown up in these
surroundings. They have been taught the invaluable
lessons of compassion, having observed first hand, the
gentle lifestyles of wild animals.Many of the children
have their own pets, for, with the run of the huge
compounds, one can have happy animals in the home.
And so our children build their cache of memories,
reliving precious moments spent in each garden.
And life goes on. We look forward to new places,
building bonds over the years, remembering the old
yet eagerly taking root in the new place once more.
“How hard it is to escape from places. However
carefully one goes, they hold you – you leave little bits
of yourself fluttering on the fences – like rags and
shreds of your very life.”
Wistful Thinking...
July 2016 63
THE WMTIMES TEAM
Editor : Sarita Dasgupta
Assistant Editor : Rupa Saikia
Coordinator : Sunny Uthup