Papa and the Lemon tree Papa loved every plant and tree in his garden. It was one of those hobbies which both my parents shared with equal passion. When we moved to our own house way back in 1982, they very enthusiastically began to plant all kinds of fruit trees along with a variety of flowering plants, creepers, succulents and a sizeable kitchen garden. We grew most of our leafy vegetables, had enough of tomatoes, brinjals, beans, carrots, gourds, lady fingers, papayas, guavas and what not. What ever we planted, it bloomed and reached fruition soon enough. Not only did we have enough for ourselves, we were soon sending vegetables and fruits to our neighbours as well. But there was this one lemon plant. It just won’t grow. Each season it added probably about two or three more branches. Somebody told us to bury dead fish under the plant to make it grow faster. Now that was a challenge for us vegetarians. We screwed up our noses and brought the cheapest fish from the fishmonge...
Each one of us is bestowed by qualities that make people remember us long after we have gone. Such is the case with my father. Through this blog, I reminisce about many stories shared by his friends, other family members, and , most importantly, memories that I hold dear in my heart.