Things That Bang

When people ask me how I spend my evening my reply makes them feel kind of uncomfortable. Its a definite conversation stopper. How do I spend my evenings? I pull weed from the soil, I sow seeds, I water my pride and joys, I enjoy the butterflies and the rustling of the wind amongst the bamboo leaves.

Some obviously think I have dumb down- she has nothing better to do? What happened to Deepti?

Others? They don't give a fuck. Either way neither do I give a fuck. There is something grand about nature. I am tickled pink watching seeds sprout, reach a four leaves stage, transplantation, a grand bounty of flowers and vegetables or just kneeling down and yanking the nasty weeds out. A lot of effort goes into getting rid of weed grass, putting up with mosquitoes or digging the soil around plants.

Those who have no interest in gardening get a blank look in their eyes when I talk of sunflowers, home grown cabbage or tomatoes. They rather I discussed the latest killing of a housewife by the irate servant, the Ganjam jewelers - shit! they rather I discussed anything but my tomatoes or my search for rambling roses.

I get their disinterest. There are those whose idea of gardening is visiting a grocery store. I get people being so self absorbed that they believe there are rigid avenues of discussion that make people intelligent- politics, money, stocks, the idiot box, movies, clothes etc.

I too can do that - I read my papers, get my news online as well, I spend my husband's money( lucky me), I know our portfolio, I watch Takashi's Castle with my kids, watch foreign films without subtitles and I read- I read a lot and I write.

But to me my reading and writing are private affairs much like my tomatoes or radishes. Things I do in my own private time. Things done when I can mull over the world and its madness from a distance.

Why do I have to do something spectacular with my evenings? Visit the nightclubs, get roaring drunk, dance the night away? Buy shoes worth more than the clothes on my back? I've done all that growing up and more.

What else would they expect me to do with my evenings? Run around the metropolis naked?

I feed my kids, play with them a little, enjoy a slice of nature and get all excited along with my kids when we'd hear my husband's car's horn. If that isn't bliss what is?

Give me a mundane relaxed evening over excitement. Give me a handful of earthworms over a bunch of pretentious a-holes.

Still wanna know about my tomatoes? Thing is there has been Salmonella scare over tomatoes in America. Makes you think doesn't it? With the food crisis going on, shit and pesticides in food, the rise in petrol prices dumb old me with my little patch of vegetables just may have the last laugh;)