Author: Archana

Once a Physiotherapist now a Wordsmith. Field Botanist. Bonsai. Proud Indian. Fauji Wife. Doting Mother and Mother-in-law. Devoted Grandmother. Reluctant Cook. Happiest on a road less travelled. 60s are the new 40s ;-)
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Sea Change (ThursdayTreeLove)


These trees caught my eye in the peak of summer because it seemed as if their bare branches had intertwined to create a black and white painting! This effect continued even as I walked closer to the trees. 



Pune, hills, deciduous

This was on 23rd May 2018. 

Just a few days and a couple of showers later, both had undergone a sea change.. Here are the same two trees on the 18th June 2018. 

Trees, Pune, hills

Surprisingly the two-toned effect  continues even once trees are full of leaves. One had lighter green leaves and the one had dark green foliage.




The strangest part is that I have walked on this spot for so many years in all seasons, but it was only last month that I noticed the colours. The trees are beautiful both with and without foliage. 

Nature’s beauty is all around us at all times of the year. We only have to look.

I am joining Parul in her #ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some amazing trees from around the world. 

PS. Tree ID: The lighter coloured tree is a Dalbergia sp and the one with the dark bark is a species of Accacia.

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Lifeline

Asha opened her eyes to the sound of chirping birds. Whatever the month, they always heralded the rising sun. It would be quite some time before the milkman arrived but she had much to do before that… Fist open close Fist open close. Elbow bend straighten elbow bend straighten. Raise arms over head Raise arms overhead. Circle ankles twice. Knee to chest right and knee to chest left. Repeat. She slowly turned to her side and got up.


‘Karagre vasate Laxmi Kar madhe Saraswati Karmule to tu Govindam Prabhate kara darshanam’. So muttering she folded her hands in prayer and got off the bed. 

Her husband continued to snore after one too many last night. It was a long overdue course mates reunion – hence all was forgiven.
She quickly brushed her teeth and swallowed her Thyronorm. At this age, she was grateful to have only a couple of tablets to support her.
To be honest it was not the birds that caught her attention at day break these days. The persistent Illuminate ringtone from the drawing room was what beckoned her out of the bed. The silvery device glowed in the night lamp. It was a smartphone that their daughter in law had practically forced into their lives.
Asha and VS were happy enough with their landline and the ‘small’ mobile for emergencies. However Asha took to this quite easily and it had opened a new world to her. A world she could not otherwise be part of . One where she could stay updated yet silent…
She pulled out the charging cable and switched on the lamp and settled into the rocking chair, wore her reading glasses and unlocked the Apple. The finger easily tapped the green icon.

Aha!
There were 62 messages from the Maher group, 37 from her Yoga group and a missed video call from Chiku ….  This was her lifeline to the world!


Asha smiled. 

The mandatory one hour fasting post-Thyronorm would pass very easily.
Barathon Badge 2018
I am participating in the third edition of the Bar-a-thon. Today’s prompt is “one too many“.  One of my few attempts at Fiction which is not really my forte…
#BarAThon
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Summer Cooler (ThursdayTreeLove)

Pune is blessed to have several hills located right inside the city itself. They are its lungs as it were and are the pride and joy of the locals. Most of the trees growing here are the deciduous type and the hot scorching months of summer see them reduced to their bare branches. 



One of the only trees giving respite from the brown and golden shades is the Morinda pubescens locally called Bartondi of the Rubiaceae family. It is an evergreen tree and its green velvety leaves are a sight for sore eyes! May is also the month when this tree blossoms and the small star-shaped whitish flowers announce the tree’s presence long before one can spot it! 
The fruit is peculiar and seems to have many facets!

Yet another give-away is the rough crocodile bark that the tree sports. 

Despite their fragrance, thankfully, these flowers are not woven into garlands. Thankful because it avoids irresponsible stripping of the tree. This is a great summer cooler especially on the morning walks during summer!

Its among my favourite indigenous species. 

Do you have a favourite tree? Or more than one favourite?
🙂
Stay happy folks!

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world!
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The Great Banyan (ThursdayTreeLove)

Today I am taking the easy way out an recycling an earlier post… Maybe some of you have already read it but I will take my chances… 


I had read about two really huge Ficus trees – one at a place called Pemgiri in Maharashtra and one in the botanical garden in Kolkata. I had seen one with a massive spread in Puducherry as well. 


Today’s post is dedicated to a 250 year old Ficus tree growing at the Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Kolkata. The 1786-founded garden has a vast collection of lovely old trees. The main attraction is the Great Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) that is supported by  thousands of roots and is spread over five acres. Despite its loss of the main trunk in 1925, the Banyan is still ‘growing’ . The authorities have had to increase the protective perimeter built around it as the tree ‘walked’ eastwards!

Here are some images of The Great Banyan.








It stands on thousands of supporting roots


This video will give take you straight to this great tree.. 

Have you seen this beautiful tree? Do you know of any other large spread Banyan? 


I am joining Parul’s #ThursdayTreeLove41 blog hop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world!

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