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HIDDEN GEMS

 HIDDEN GEMS

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

04/X/2022

 

            Imagine yourselves traversing a beaten path every day, kicking stones, and raising dust as usual. Every bump, every nook & corner, every pothole, every pond, every pole, every step is so well known to you that even if you are sent on that track blindfolded, you would be able to tell where you are & what is infront of you. Right!......Wrong!

 

            What if there was a ‘gem’ hidden somewhere which you would have kicked inadvertently. Or probably mistook it for a stone and ignored it. Possible! Then one day you pay attention to details. The mundane is given a pause. The path oft travelled is seen with a different eye.

 

Reminded me of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Dwarfs worked in the mines full of gemstones. While working they would sing Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho…. dig-dig-dig, Hi-Ho…... and pull out the most beautiful gems from that quarry.

 

The one called ‘Dopey’ would pick one, kick one, throw one, collect one gem at random. I wish to find that mine one day, sift all they left probably due to the abundance of gems and present them to ‘my’ Snow White.

 

On a non-serious note, I discovered a hidden gem today.

 

My daily routine is to go upstairs, water the plants & feed the fish. Then sit on the parapet to watch them frolic. That is when I noticed something unusual. Let me reveal the hidden gem story.

 

As we were settling down in our house, pots needed care and attention. A close inspection revealed they needed fresh mud and manure. Thanks to our contractor who has his own dairy, we got us a few gunny bags of manure and river sand.

 

            Once the pots were topped up, left over sand and manure bags were kept in one corner of the veranda. That space was looking shabby with those old cement bags piled up. We decided to move them to the roof & use them on a need basis.

 

            The monsoons came pouring. Fabric of those bags was weak and rain drops ripped those bags apart. They got perforated and started to wither, exposing sand & manure which they were holding. Sure, enough as nature is, seeds lying dormant, started sprouting.

 

            We left them to grow. It also gave us an idea to grow a terrace garden which is yet to materialise. A creeper emerged and started spreading. Within days, it was more than ten feet long with shoots scattered in different directions.

 

            After the rainy season we kept watering it like we fed the fish. Lo and behold this vine started flowering. Small yellow flowers emerged all over. It could be a ‘Karela’ (Bitter Gourd) or ‘Kakri’/ ‘Kheera’ (cucumber). Whatever it was, it was welcome.

 

            We placed the vine over those gunny bags so that the stems do not burn on the hard roof floor. A drizzle of water was a must to keep its roots moist but fruits were not emerging. Soon we found butterflies visiting, so pollination had begun. Results were awaited.

 

            The season of all the vegetables which have been mentioned is over. Therefore, this vine started wilting and leaves started drying. How we wished that it could have revealed one fruit for us to know the variety it belonged to.

 

            As I was removing the dry leaves, I almost jumped in glee. A smile broke from ear to ear. Instead of feeding the fish, my complete attention got diverted to a small roundel lying on a sand bag.

 

            This hidden gem is called a ‘Kaachara’ which grows in abundance here. It is akin to a musk melon but with a unique tangy-sourish taste. The pulp is yellow in colour and its seeds can be mistaken for muskmelon seeds. It is even striped like a melon.

 

We love to have this as a snack in between meals. Kaachara will beat any Zucchini salad or Cucumber based salsa.

 

Next in line this season is ‘Balam Kakri.’ It is again of the cucumber variety with the size of a big bottle gourd. It is like a ‘seetha’ or ‘feeka’ (tasteless) melon, full of minerals but the aroma is out of the world, our next rooftop project.

 

Would I be able to present more such ‘gems’ to my Snow White? I wonder!!!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND
© NOEL ELLIS

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