A Lesson in Love

There’s an interesting place called Grandpa’s Garden, in Discovery Bay, in Hong Kong, hidden by the lush greenery, almost waiting to be discovered. It is a beautiful organic farm, run by a charming, elderly Chinese couple. We rent a small plot of farmland there to grow our own organic vegetables. It is important for the children to know that vegetables do not magically appear in supermarkets, but grow in the sun and the soil and with some tender loving care, says Suveera, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.

In a little village by the beautiful community of Discovery Bay, which I call home, you can find an interesting place called Grandpa’s Garden, hidden by the lush greenery, almost waiting to be discovered. It is a beautiful organic farm, run by a charming, elderly Chinese couple.  Everyone who visits the farm, fondly calls them grandpa and grandma.If you walk down the winding road from my house, you could reach there within a few minutes. There is a narrow serpentine walking path, by the seaside that leads to it.

It is like a beautiful sanctuary, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. We rent a small plot of farmland there to grow our own organic vegetables. I feel it is important for the children to know that vegetables do not magically appear in supermarkets, but grow in the sun and the soil and with some tender loving care.

I confess. Perhaps it was more an attempt to reconnect with my roots and revisit my childhood, in a way.

My grandfather was a farmer and I remember multiple visits that I had with him to our farm in northern India. I recollect myself as a little girl, holding his hand and walking through the paddy fields, I remember looking up to him, awestruck by his knowledge of vegetables and plants, and of the crop cycles, and water table. I treasure memories of long lazy days on the farm, swinging on trees, running and playing in the fields and drinking chilled water from the tube well. I remember naming the mango trees and claiming the produce and fighting over it with my sisters.

When I was a teenager, I still had those visits with him to the farm. Now, he would stand tall with pride and show me the expanse of the farmland that he had nurtured with love.  The flourishing yellow mustard fields as far as my curious eyes could see. “It is all yours,” he would say to me.

I think it was this connection with nature and the earth that I was trying to recreate for my children, in my own small way. For them to plant seeds in the soil and see these grow into a seedling and then plants. For me, in turn, to plant the seeds of responsibility in them. For them to experience the joy of seeing the fruits of their labour grow and to learn to care for something, or someone other than their own selves. To learn and experience ‘as you sow, so you reap’. Or even just to get their hands dirty and play in the soil, to create something beautiful, and be in the midst of nature instead of their electronic gadgets.

I have overheard my son and daughter proudly say to their friends, “We grew the carrot that you just ate.” It gives them a sense of achievement and makes them aware of how our food grows. One of the main benefits has been to be able to consume vegetables that are pesticide and herbicide free, more nutritious and definitely better in taste.

I might add that they enjoy it now. Now my son has names for the plants. He calls the spinach plants, ‘Ironmen’ and the tomato plant, ‘Timmy, the tomato’. My daughter loves to try out new recipes and prefers to use the homegrown bunch for her cooking.

For me, it is just the joy of seeing something grow, and to know that it is healthy, nutritious, and has been nurtured with love.

Wouldn’t it benice for all us city dwellers to be able to grow our own little patch? A plot is space permits or even just a few pots on the window sill. It is a lesson in love for children and adults alike.

©Suveera Sharma

Photos by the author

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