22/06/2021
Two days ago, Walden got a much-needed sprucing up. The grass that had reached almost knee height during the two months of lock-down was cropped down. The guys who cut the grass did a good job, clearing out the whole compound.
The KSEB people had already done their bit of spring cleaning for us, chopping down the overgrown branches of glicidia aka sheema konna that edges our 'driveway.' But, they would only chop away, leaving a bedlam of hacked up branches and leaves for us to clear.
All the clearing was done. The mowed grass still carpeted the ground. But that could be used as manure for the coconut trees. It was time to open up the basins of the trees. It should have been done just before the monsoon began, but that's fine. A little bit late is better than never ! The coconut palms around Walden are just a handful these days. Most of the old trees planted by my grandfather have withered and cut down. But last year, we planted two saplings, which are growing up fine.
The withered young bananas are part of the saplings planted by a friend, Shyam, who is trying to take upon banana cultivation as a part time entrepreneurship in these troubled times. A budding actor who has already bagged a couple of promising roles in Malayalam cinema, he too was forced to seek whatever modes of livelihood available as Covid 19 paralyzed the world. Not to be beaten, Shyam took upon various jobs. The banana saplings in the photo are not faring well as there was some water logging in that area. However, others planted elsewhere in the compound, like these behind the Kalari, are faring quite well. Hope they'd bring Shyam a good crop !
Another much-needed job also got done during these days. The bamboo curtains of the Kalari were badly in need of a fresh coat of varnish. The curtains were made in 2016. The yellow bamboo is not expected to be long lasting as the green varieties. And it was not treated also. However, the curtains have lasted without much damage. With regular varnishing, I hope they will survive for more years to come. So Wilson, our house painter guy, finished the work in two days.
None of us know when the rehearsal spaces would be allowed to open up. So, the kalari and Walden are waiting. Meanwhile, the plants and animals go on making their own patterns of life. I tried to get a decent click of two Common Mynas and one crow pheasant (or Greater Coucal or Chembothu) who were foraging in the late evening light. It is believed that seeing a single Myna would bring bad luck. Thankfully, there were two of them.
