Pradyut develops a green thumb

Where is my bat? I am sure I had kept it leaning against the wall behind the door. Amit
scratched his head in disbelief. The bat was nowhere to be found. It had simply disappeared!
Could it be that a goblin had come in the night while he was asleep, and carried it away? Amit
had read quite a number of story books about goblins, and he knew of their mischievous ways.
He had to find the bat to get even with
Pradyut. Last Sunday, just as he was about to
swing his bat to hit the ball, bowled by
Pradyut, a speck of dust had entered his
eyes. That spoiled everything. He could not
see properly. Although he did swing the bat,
it did not make contact with the ball. The
ball sneaked past the bat and uprooted all
the three stumps. Out! He was out without
scoring even one run. If it had not been for
that speck of dust, Amit was sure he would have hit a four. Just wait, he would show Pradyut
today how to bat. But, where is the bat?

Just then Amit happened to look out of the window, and what did he see? He saw Mini, his sister,
wearing his cap, and she had the bat in her hands! You may well imagine Amits annoyance here he
had turned the whole house upside down searching for his bat, and it was Mini who had it all the time.
Amit snatched the bat and the cap from Mini, and before she could even utter a word of protest darted
out of sight.

Now even as Amit raced towards Pradyuts home to invite him to play cricket, Pradyut was having some
trouble of his own. It was Sunday, and he had set his heart on playing cricket. He grinned at the thought
how he had bowled out Amit on the very first
ball last Sunday. He heard Amit call and was
about to rush out when he heard another voice.
That was his granny calling him. Pradyut, come
here son, she said.
What is it Granny? I am going out to play
cricket, Pradyut told her.
I want you to go the vegetables market and buy
some vegetables, Granny told him. See, there
is only one brinjal left. If you dont get
vegetables, then it is this brinjal you will have to
eat. Now, Pradyut hated brinjals. He loved his
granny dearly and although he wanted to go and
play cricket, he could not refuse. His parents had gone to visit an ailing friend. The market was quite
some distance away and it was not possible for
Granny to go there herself. Her body ached and she
found it difficult to walk long distances.


I cant play now. We will play after I come back
from the market, Pradyut told Amit and set out to
buy vegetables. He had not walked very far when
he heard scampering feet behind him. Turning back,
Pradyut saw Buzo, his dog, rushing after him like
mad. You cant leave me behind, Buzo woofed. Okay, okay. Come along. But dont trouble the
vendors, or chase the cats there, Pradyut told him. Woof, woof. I will be a good dog, Buzo promised.
Buzo was true to his word and although he found some nice cats who he longed to chase, he kept his
promise. He received a juicy bone from the butcher for his good behavior.
While returning home with the vegetables, Pradyut saw flowering shrubs along the path. They looked so
beautiful. He also saw a tomato plant which had somehow grown, although it was unlikely anyone had
planted it there. The seeds must have carried there by the wind and the plant had sprung to life. It even
bore tiny tomatoes which had already turned red and appeared like berries. The sight of the tomato
plant gave Amit an idea. But he told nobody about it, not even Buzo.
On the way, Pradyut saw a boy pushing his unicycle. The sight of the boy was so alluring that Pradyut
wanted to hurry home and rush to the playground. All the children were having fun on a Sunday, and
here he had to go to the market to buy vegetables! Tomorrow will be Monday and he has to go to
school. There will be no opportunity to play. But the thought of granny came to his mind and Pradyut
felt sorry that he had been thinking of playing instead of helping her. It was great fun to be able to help
granny. She told him so many stories; she took care of him when he was sick. Pradyut felt ashamed for
the selfish thoughts.
Anyone may have thought that after reaching home Pradyut would have raced to the playground. But,
no! The boy wanted to put into action the idea that had come to his mind on seeing the shrubbery and
tomato plant. So, instead of going to the playground, Pradyut made his way to Nursery Uncles house.
Actually his name was Mr Singh but the children called him Nursery Uncle because he owned a nursery
where he grew all kinds of plants which he sold. Nursery Uncle knew all about plants and how to grow
them.
Nursery Uncle was a very friendly person and he liked children. He believed that children are like plants
and needed to be tended with care and love. Therefore, when Pradyut knocked at his door just as he
was about to settle down to read the newspaper, he did not feel angry.
What brings you here on a Sunday when you should be on the playground? he asked. Pradyut told him
of his plan Nursery Uncle had to be let into the secret, otherwise Pradyuts plan would not work.
Nursery Uncle listened patiently and then explained to Pradyut how plants are grown. Plants are like
your pets, they are like Buzo. You have to take care of them; only then will they grow. He also told
Pradyut how plants, just like human beings and animals, can be affected by diseases caused by fungi,
bacteria and viruses.
After the long conversation, Pradyut walked out of Nursery Uncles house with his head full of plant
knowledge. He also had in his hands few tomato plants for transplanting, a packet of brinjal seeds, and
slices of potatoes with eyes on them Nursery Uncle had thrust all these into his hands and also
explained what potato eyes are; the eyes are
those spots on a potato from which new plants
can grow.
The boy spent the rest of the Sunday sowing the
brinjal seeds and potato eyes and transplanting
the tomato saplings appropriately as directed by
Nursery Uncle. Pradyuts little garden was behind
the house where nobody came. Only Buzo knew.
Buzo even helped Pradyut in the gardening work
he thought that Pradyut was digging for bones
and, so, he also dug furiously. Of course, no bones
were found. The pits dug by Buzo were large
enough for planting the seeds. Unhappy that
after all the digging he had found no bones, Buzo decided he must work harder. He, therefore, started
digging with renewed energy, and even tried to dig out the planted seeds and saplings. Pradyut had a
hard time keeping Buzo away from the saplings. He explained to Buzo that no more digging was to be
done and the intelligent dog seemed to understand.
Many weeks have passed since then and, unknown to
everybody else, Pradyuts garden has blossomed. The boy has
added more plants in his garden, including ornamental plants
like roses and marigolds. These plants have, of course, been
supplied free by Nursery Uncle who was really impressed by the
boys enthusiasm and willingness to work hard. The flowers
attract birds, bees and butterflies, and the garden has become
really colourful. The once barren backyard is now full of life and
colour. As for the vegetable plants, they are growing quite well.
You can see how well the brinjals have grown; they are almost ready to be plucked. The tomatoes have
ripened and their dazzling red colour is a feast for the eyes. You cannot see the potatoes because they
grow underground but the good growth of the plants indicates that there is a treasure to be found
underneath.


You have to say it is a coincidence. It is once again a Sunday, once again his parents are out, and once
again Granny wants Pradyut to go to the market to buy vegetables. Once again there is only one brinjal
left in the house.
Granny opened her purse to hand him the money when Pradyut stopped her. I have some work
Granny, I will go after 30 minutes; you may give me the money then. But I dont think this time I will
need any money, Pradyut said and dashed off with the plastic basket without explaining what he
meant.
What work does Pradyut have? It is the most important work in his life till now, and it is the most
exhilarating work! It is for the first time that Pradyut will be picking vegetables from his own garden!
Come Buzo, we have work to do, he
called out, and the little dog was only too
eager to help. Both of them dug up the
soil, and lo and behold, there was a rich
horde of potatoes to be found. The two
(actually, Buzo could not assist in this task
but he provided encouragement by
barking and wagging his tail furiously) then plucked the brinjals and tomatoes. There were beans and
ladys-fingers also. With the basket full, Pradyut presented it to Granny. Granny was astonished. From
where did you get these vegetables? Who gave you the money to buy them? You did not take any
money from me!
The earth gave me the vegetables, and did not charge me anything, Pradyut replied smiling from ear
to ear. The answer mystified Granny. She could not understand what Pradyut was saying.
Pradyut caught hold of her arm and gently guided her to the back of the house. The sight which met
Granny amazed her. Oh my dear boy, so this is your garden! All the time you have been engaged in
gardening, and I thought you were out playing. I never thought of checking what you were doing behind
the house the whole day.
Granny asked Pradyut to fetch her chair from the house and place it in the garden. It would be pleasant
to sit here among the flowers and enjoy their fragrance while chatting with birds, bees and butterflies.
The meal that day tasted especially delicious. It was not that additional spices were used, or the
vegetables were cooked differently. Yet, they tasted much, much better. The reason probably was that
you get extra delight from the fruits of your own labour.