It never ceases to amaze me how every year, this one mango tree and the two coconut trees my mother planted 50 years ago still keep giving bountifully despite the minimum lack of care from my side. Mom, when this house was being built, planted several trees - two mango trees, two coconut trees, a guava tree, a pomegranate tree, couple of Asoka trees and such stuff.
Now the mango tree, coconut trees and the Asoka trees survive. Every year the mango tree gives off anywhere between 300-500 mangoes which are in great demand in our neighborhood so by the time we decide to get a few, half the crop has disappeared. Anyway it's fun to play the farmer, get the mangoes plucked, ripened, if someone has the drive, get avakai made. The ripened rasalu are very sweet and massive and I normally give it away feeling every bit a small rajah or something to people who I really really like. This year the crop has only yielded 150 which is a cause for concern.
The coconut trees have benefited by my watering for many years when my mom would give me the job and i would do it dutifully. Now i have no idea what to do with the crop except worry that the coconuts might fall on someone's head. There is one drunken fellow who comes every year promising to get them off but i worry that he will fall off and have banned him from the premises.
This year however the coconuts seem to have ripened and every other day I hear a coconut fall so i hired a more reliable climber who plucked off some 150 coconuts. Now we have no idea what to do with them but at least they will stop falling and endangering people etc.
Overall, an interesting last couple of days. I cannot but feel the love of mother nature and her giving nature, her non judgemental attitude and the way she blooms so beautifully. And of course, every year when these trees bloom I cannot but remember my mother who built this house with love and planted these trees so we could (and many more anonymous colony people) enjoy their fruits. Thanks Mum and thanks Mother Nature.
