Winners never quit

While weeding out the unwanted plants amidst the ongoing incessant downpours, I noticed that the only flower braving the rains and yet in full bloom was the sadabahar. I learnt this name recently and from childhood I have known it as the graveyard flower and forever disliked its presence.

Despite several attempts to remove, it has always managed to show up. This time in the crevices between two slabs and the roots went deeper down. Though chopping it was testing my strength, the detailing of these flowers caught my eye and on a closer look, I began to admire the perfect symmetry. After maid mentioning some medical uses of it, I turned to google for help and indeed found out that this plant has been a time tested ayurveda medicine curing many illnesses from diabetes to skin ailments and cold.

Concerned about the safety of the walls and its ever widening cracks I decided to remove this one. Sure enough, I found two new saplings and decided to keep them. Call it a graveyard flower, periwinkle, vinca or sadabahar... this plant sits proudly in my garden not only for its benefits but also because of its never give up attitude.

History is filled with tales of several heroes who came back despite being pushed to the edge. When Prithviraj was taken a captive to Gazna after facing defeat at the hands of Mohammad Ghouri, he was blinded and left to rot and die in prison. Chand Bardai, a poet and king’s good friend persuaded him to participate in an archery challenge urging the blind Prithviraj to take his revenge. Chand Bardai’s verses helped Prithviraj to accurately calculate and aim at Mohd Ghouri and kill him.

Fables like ‘The hare and the tortoise,’ ‘The ant and the grasshopper,’ ‘The thirsty crow’ or ‘Three little pigs’ would not have been the same if they had given up half way. In the words of Thomas Edison: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”