Tolerance

Tolerance is a secret and sacred way to enrich our human life.

-Sri Chinmoy

The Road Less-Travelled

Now I have come to the cross-roads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew, but I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard. Now here's Charlie. He's come to the cross-roads. He has chosen a path. It's the right path. It's a path made of principle that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey.

-Scent of a Woman (1992)

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complete dialogue here

Money Plant

It seems to me that we all look at nature too much, and live with her too little.

-Oscar Wilde

...

During my childhood days, the money plant always fascinated me with its brilliant shades of green. A friend of mine has the plant in his backyard planted in a long-necked bottle with water.

Once while coming back from school, I found it growing wild by the road side. I picked up a small one and brought it home carefully. And planted it just as my friend did. I was happy seeing it grow for the next few days. But alas it stopped growing after that. The nice shades of green slowly turned pale yellow.

I was jealous seeing my friends plant that grew lush and happily climbed the kitchen grills. And as to my plant, it died a slow death, the reason I don't know why.

Today we have a few money plants that grew wild and happy in a silent corner of our compound wall.
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Wikipedia - Epipremnum aureum
The Hindu - Get rich with money plant

Monsoon Showers

So there I was, standing one day in the dazzling sunlight of the courtyard, combing my beard. A passing summer shower suddenly tattooed the dusty lawn. The air was filled with the fragrance of the heady mixture of earth, rain and sunlight. I stood happily in the courtyard, breathing in the smells waiting, like my herbs and jungles, for the grand arrival of the rains, thinking of nothing, my mind flying free like a floating leaf. There was a sudden gust of wind. Behind it came a luminous drizzle from the rainclouds that rushed across the sunny sky. I wanted to leap into the joyous wind, the rain and the fleeing clouds. ‘Here I come!’ I jumped, my arms lifted, to touch the clouds. ‘Aha! Aha!’ I screamed. ‘Take me too!’

-Paul Zacharia, The Garden of the Antlions.

Photos contributed by : Sateesh

Mango Mania

Mangoes here, mangoes there,
the king of fruits is everywhere.
Some are sweet, some are sour,
but eating mango is never a bore.
Some go into jams, some into pickle,
either way the tastebuds tickle.
Some into jellies, some into juices,
or simply be eaten with salt on slices.

...

A tribute to all those grandmothers, and mothers who pass on the wonderful tradition, and art of mango-pickling.
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Mango, delicious mango - A beautiful article by V.Gangadhar

V.Gangadhar is better known for his hillarious weekly coloumn Slice of Life in the sunday magazines of The Hindu.