The saga of my Papaya

“Plant seeds of happiness, hope, success, and love; it will all come back to you in abundance. This is the law of nature.” ― Steve Maraboli, 

 It looked insolently to the other side . It was no longer emerging straight, there was a characteristic bend half way through. Its body had begun to show a distinctive aridness, I wondered, were they wrinkles? It no longer bore the cheerful countenance that it had when I had first  seen it. Its leaves no longer grew to the size they used to .  There were  a few baby leaves borne in the centre at the growing axis which were perhaps too young to apprehend the thorny situation. It was at daybreak when it dawned upon me that my papaya was perhaps suffering from Progeria  a disease causing precocious maturity like Amitabh Bachchan  in the film Paa. The only difference was Amitabh was suffering from a genetic disease while my papaya’s was environmental . I sat at the doorway looking at it fondly as I reminisced the day we went to the Nursery near Royal Casa apartments. The Nursery of plants was a huge one with a central office all embedded and enraptured in plants which gave the place a Costa Rica like appearance. It was nearly six in the evening when we had entered the gates  welcomed by a variety of hibiscus plants and other attractive plants.The nursery was covered with a green net for a few plants while the others were lying exposed. Probably for a few plants it was extra protection from UV radiations  or the infrared radiations of the sun. I impetuously walked till the end of the freshly watered nursery and estimated whether some of these plants would be a delight for the cynosure’s eye. I felt regal while selecting the timid plants who then seemed like the slaves who festooned the Greek homes.

I ultimately decided on a few plants in the flowering and fruiting categories.There were many Papaya plants reserved  in plastic wrap and in mud pots. I cast a quick look to see this little plant which was the one I really treasured. I affectionately ran my fingers through its leaves just as we cuddle little children . I picked a miniature fruiting lemon plant too along with a few petunias and chrysanthemums. It was to begin a little terrace garden.

We bought long pots where two three plants had to share the space. But my Papaya and lemon got independent pots to flourish in. I glowed in pride as I transplanted the Papaya into its new living space  and declared that the first Papaya fruit would go to my earnest maid. My maid works in homes due to her ardour for work. She is not a needy one but her genuineness and conscientiousness towards her occupation has always fascinated me. A Papaya would definitely be a reward. She looked at me fair-mindedly and said the plant needed space to spread its roots. Her expression  fell on deaf years as nothing could tamper my zeal . I felt  I could nurture it with all that money could procure and it would definitely be wheedled to grow and fruit.

Today as I looked at the frail papaya plant I felt I had sinned by captivating its capacities. Perhaps it would have grown better in  the soil of any unkempt ground with bare essentials. I had given it everything needed for growing and  blooming but somewhere I had not cared about the expected  space it needed. It unexpectedly reminded me of children who are reared with all the care and conveniences to succeed but fail to do well perhaps because they never get their own space to exploit their potentials. In all probability their potentials were ruined by their overwhelming parents and occasionally by their teachers.

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” ― William Jennings Bryan