CHENNAI : For Sangeetha Atmakuri, plants are not mere show pieces. She believes that every plant can see, feel, hear and respond to sensory touches.As a child, she spent most of her time talking and playing with the trees in her backyard, and trees became her best friends ever since. When Sangeetha’s not at her workplace, she spends time nurturing her beautiful garden situated at Moulali. The garden is spread across 100 yards with strategically placed floral plants such as red and yellow roses, red and pink hibiscus.
It’s hardly been three months since she started tending to her garden, but it has blossomed like it has been nurtured for years. Sangeetha’s garden is always alive with the chirping of birds and buzzing of bees. The cool breeze of her garden creates a soothing sensation for visitors. “There is no need to spend hours meditating. All one has to do is spend as much time as possible with plants and all the negative energy from the body simply dispels,” says Sangeetha, whose garden is an irresistible delight for visitors.
Sangeetha tries spending at least three days a week with the plants when she, says she, “talks to them while watering and dust off the mud on the leaves with my chunni.” When she is busy working, she asks her watchman to take extra care of her garden.
Support from her parents who encourage her hobby has been a bonus. In fact, her mother is the one who taught her the basics of gardening, which she has mastered. “I am an abhyasi of Sahaj Marg (Sri Rama Chandra mission). My guru is doing a plantation project in Kanha Shantivanam Ashram. He is of the firm belief that gardening increases the underground water levels. It’s here that I get my motivation for gardening,” she says.
Love, warmth and affection are the key ingredients for the growth of tree from a plant. “Initially I started gardening growing flowers in my surroundings for poojas. The red and yellow flowers of my garden are a means to say ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ to God,” says Sangeetha.What are some gardening tips for beginners, and pat comes the reply: “Boiled tea powder residue without sugar serves as a home-made manure for the plants.”