Beauty is in Presence not in Possession

Last year, just before summer , i brought a Jasmine sapling (ಮೂರು ಸುತ್ತಿನ ಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ)  from Lalbagh (Bangalore) and planted it in my garden. It was a small sapling, and by summer, few jasmine buds started appearing on it. Excited by seeing the buds, i brought another sapling from a local nursery and planted it during summer. Within a few days jasmine buds started appearing on that as well. 

Since both were small saplings, not many flowers blossomed last year. However, we could see a few flowers in them throughout the summer of 2011. 

Outside the house, on the side of the road, i have planted Nerium (ಕಣಗಳು) , Hibiscus (ದಾಸವಾಳ) and Champak (ಸಂಪಿಗೆ) plants. Nerium was planted long back while the Hibiscus and Champak were planted just last year. While Hibiscus and Nerium have grown well and flowers have started to blossom, the champak has not grown well. The road side cattle are not allowing the champak tree to grow. 

Nerium

Nerium, Champak and Hibiscus are relatively maintenance free. They grow in relatively less fertile soils. Champak tree grows tall while the nerium spreads fast. So they are good choices to plant on the road side. Champak flowers have a fantastic aroma. In fact , the fantastic fragrance of Champak flowers attract snakes. 


By early monsoon of last year, i decided to buy a new car (Ford Figo). Since the new car was wider than the previous car (Wagon R), i had to widen the drive way to accommodate the new car. I had two choices, one was to sacrifice the garden which apart from two jasmine saplings also had chrysanthemum (ಶಾವಂತಿಗೆ)  , hibiscus (ದಾಸವಾಳ ), Broccoli, Tulasi and few other flowering plants. The other choice was to sacrifice the grill and a portion of the extended portico to accommodate the car. Out of love for these plants (i had planted them), i decided to demolish the extended portico. It was an expensive decision. I had to repaint the front wall, fix an additional door for safety. But it was worth it. There was no point in harming those plants. 


Jasmine plants are more than an year old now. Its mid summer now and everyday morning, i can see many blossomed flowers on the plant. There will be at least three to four hibiscus flowers and quite a few nerium flowers on the plants outside the house. One feels happy to see these flowers early in the morning. (We could see many Nerium flowers in December-January season). 


But the sad part is, no one wants to see the beauty on the plant. No one wants to leave the beauty in peace and enjoy its presence. For a few morning walkers who pass in front of my house, their day starts by plucking the nerium and hibiscus flowers in front of my house. They not only pluck the flowers, they go to the extent of reaching far off flowers by bending the branches of the plant. They do not realize that they are harming the plant and damaging the branches which left otherwise would show up with more flowers in a few days. 


Inside the compound, my mother does not leave any jasmine flowers. By 7 :30 AM, all the flowers will be plucked. 


Is it just human attitude that we cannot see beauty as it is? Or are we so myopic that we are handicapped to appreciate beauty in its natural form. Why is there an urge to possess beauty. Agreed that the flowers will be used for worship (pooja).  But why should the flower be plucked and put at the feet of the lord in a closed hot room? That flower will dry up and fade away in a few hours which otherwise would have smiled on the plant for a at least a few more days. 


Is beauty only there to be possessed or competed for? Is it not there just to be enjoyed? What is beauty? What is the role of beauty? 


Beauty is grace of god. Grace is in presence not necessarily in possession. Possession is arresting beauty. Beauty must prevail and transcend beyond materialistic human urge for possession. 


I am signing off  by quoting Nobel laureate Rabindranath tagore ; 

"Love adorns itself; It seeks to prove inward joy by outward beauty"