Hi Folks
Recently received a beautiful message about Sunflowers. Here it goes….
“Sunflowers turn according to the position of the sun, in other words, they “chase the light.” You might already know this, but there is another fact that you probably do not know! Have you ever wondered what happens on cloudy, rainy days when the sun is completely covered by clouds? This is an interesting question, isn’t it ? Perhaps you think the sunflower withers or turns its head towards the ground. Is this what crossed your mind ? Well, that’s incorrect! This is what happens – *They turn towards each other to share their energy.*
Nature’s perfection is amazing; now let’s apply this reflection to our lives. We all want this light and seek it in different ways: in our family, friends, work and so on. But there are always going to be cloudy days, gloomy days, because there is no escaping them ! When this happens, most people become overwhelmed, low-spirited, and the most vulnerable ones, some-times, become depressed. How about following the example of the beautiful sunflowers ? *Supporting and empowering each other. Nature has so much to teach us.*
Is the above true ? I do not know – there is no scientific evidence to show that the sunflowers face each other to draw energy. But does it take away the underlying powerful message ? No, then lets adopt it !
From a forwarded message to a real eye-witness, let me share some of the lessons from nature learnt from our ‘forest walk’ in Ramakrishna Ashram, Shivanahalli, about 30 kms away from Bangalore. It was a typical beautiful, cool, Bangalore monsoon, Saturday morning with a light sun on our heads, as our group of children and adults keenly listened to the experienced teacher-cum-guide stop by every tree and explain its features, its leaves, its flowers, its roots, its history, its properties etc. :
- The first picture in this banner shows a conjoint tree – it is not. Infact they are 2 separate trees growing together, trying to access sunlight without crossing each others paths. Look how beautifully they co-exist without stunting the growth of the other. The 3rd picture shows how the same trees have branched out at the top only after reaching certain height where there is bright sunlight and ample space to spread. Are we humans accommodative like these trees ? We are forever in a rat race trying our best not only to surge forward but also to ensure that somebody else stays behind !!
- The central picture seems a miracle since on the top of a boulder, out of nowhere, we saw a bright, green bunch of leaves tenderly reaching out to us from the hard rocks. Beneath was some natural soil and rainwater collected in the dent. Thanks to a chemical reaction between the rain water and the limestone in the rock, a small dent in the boulder grows big enough over 10 years to allow germination of seeds. Do we have the patience that nature exercises ? We seems to be on the move always, on the run expecting fast growth. Sometimes we must allow things to settle, things to take its own time – the outcome will be natural, matured and lasting.
- Observed sandalwood trees growing amongst other plantation – it is a semi-parasite which draws water from roots of other trees nearby, explained our guide. But the law of nature is to allow a semi-parasite too in the wild jungle.
- Forest officials insist on planting with certain distance between saplings but in the natural, wild way of growing in a forest, the trees coexist – adjust to grow with lot of trees around. The guide gave this as a beautiful analogy while talking about competition and market share between rivals in business. Trees naturally adopt a ‘Live and let live’ policy. All grow together in an accommodative way. Does it remind us of the joint family setting we had in India way back then, when there was ‘shared living’ unlike ‘shared accommodation’ today ?
It was a 1 hour trek but we got lessons for a lifetime – simple lessons that we humans seemed to have forgotten. Oh what a way to have spent a weekend amidst nature and the village children who were learning botany hands-on, in the lap of nature, touching, feeling and hearing – a complete sensory experience that is truly enviable !
It wasn’t planned that way but we did celebrate World Environment Day (5th June) close to Mother Nature. Only when I returned from the ‘Wonderland’ did I realise that the next issue of Samhita was due and we had to start our preparations. MCA, RBI, CBDT, GST have some notifications which you can catch in this 214th issue of Samhita. Mediation column by Saradha Kumar, Advocate and mediator focuses on ‘Mediation in Commercial Disputes’.
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