Haven at home

One of the good things about spending more time at home is, you make some interesting discoveries within your own abode. Not exactly ‘eureka’ moments but well, almost!

On a recent sunny Sunday morning, with three newspapers to read, I was looking for a quiet corner. With music wafting from one room, loud laughter from another, the pressure cooker hissing from the kitchen, I eyed our balcony. What better place than to comfortably ensconce yourself amidst some plants. And so, I carried our old, leaning chair onto the balcony and a footstool to boot. With little to no traffic, thanks to the lockdown, there was silence.

It was cool with a light breeze blowing, a cloudless, blue sky above. In between reading, I feasted my eyes on over a dozen potted plants that, my significant other, with her green thumb had nurtured over the years-- cacti, cheese plant, lemongrass, curry leaves, tapioca, tomato, basil, gherkin, spinach and some ornamental plants with impressive names that I fail to remember!

Looking ahead from my vantage point, there was beauty all around. Right in front of our apartment is a huge copper pod tree with its flamboyant yellow flowers in bloom, providing a beautiful vista. Often my attention is captured by bees, flying from flower to flower, collecting nectar. If I crane my neck a bit, I can see the massive rain tree with its pinkish feathery flowers creating an impressive, natural canopy.

And so, I find myself spending a lot of time sitting and reading in our balcony in our own little oasis of green in an otherwise concrete jungle. As a bonus, I colourful butterflies flutter around plants and pigeons suddenly land near my feet.

The only music I hear is the tittering of birds – koels, mynahs, kites, crows from some branch of the grand trees on the street. I’m chuffed that some birds still exist in our ‘garden city’ and continue to sing, although, sadly, I’ve yet to spot a sparrow. One evening, a rare feathered beauty landed on a plant, entertained me with some unusual music briefly and flew away before I could click a picture with my phone. The fresh air and the atmosphere are simply invigorating.

Confined at home, we are all a bit angst-ridden, waiting for normalcy to return. But then, when will we learn to appreciate the beauty of nature in our fast-paced lives? There’s a lot to discover within the confines of one’s home. Just as I found an atmospheric corner right under my nose.