Aahaa Chennai

Inching its way up a delicate stalk, brushing the curved edges of beckoning boats of green, fine tuned by an artistic sun, tiptoeing over intricate  whorls of  light orange hued petals, each tucked in a specific way, translating to an elegance that reaches out and overwhelms, the 'Good Morning' smile clambers up, double quick, tickling the  glistening red stigma , drifts through the air wooing the facial muscles, recharging  inbuilt 'feel good' batteries, initiating the beginnings of an involuntary smile, the moment you pause for a look. Your morning begins... anew, when you let drop those packs of smiles. The 'Good Morning' smile... it's definitely contagious.

Pausing for a minute to gaze at a strong and  'been there long' tree trunk. Admiring a caring being, who has put in a lot of thought plus 'heart and soul' into saving  a tree, a playmate during childhood years, whispering... 'I am there for you,' a witness to the ups and downs of lives in the vicinity, murmuring ... Hey! I am still there, saved from the swing of an axe, by the simple process of making an alteration to the structure of the nearby wall. Nature has a dream... if only everyone, would stop, take a second look and initiate steps to protect the many vulnerable existing giants.

Help! The curry leaves are  flying about. Finally, they are caught, sorted, cleaned and the aroma of the 'curry leaves' spread, pushes the tip of the tongue to the 'fast track' mode. Meanwhile... 'the-will-not-go-away' odour of an orange-jaggery mix, that wafts its way through foliage, tall walls and curtained windows, a sort of tweaked marmalade, eliciting enquiries...'what's cooking?' from down the road, all speak of the endless joy that grandma derives, in sharing the produce from her small green patch, be it the original ones or the cooked ones. The 'phulkas' sigh in delight. They love this... new green-orange delight. Grandma's hands join with Nature's  harvest piles to stir up spoonfuls of joy in a jiffy.

The leaves have been sending out messages for days... and finally, the day has dawned, when eager hands arrive, then tug hard, to bring out the bunches of 'home bred' fresh turmeric, some in deep slumber, wrapped  in a brown blanket, the rest poking their way out, developing a unique armoury, labelled 'Health n' Goodness' the past several months. The Earthy fragrance of  fresh turmeric paste adds a  winsome flavour which lingers the entire day, while the sparkling layer of yellow, coating the hands is a vivid reminder of the fiery sun, above. The 'long rested' grinding stone is earning a bit of exercise, bringing to mind images of... village belles and festive fervour, age-old pleasuresome tasks, natural cosmetics and wound healers and grandma's hot n' peppery, turmeric laced milk. Not just the finger like tubers, the leaves too carry traces of that special flavour. Here comes... a simple yet 'ea...

If you're patient and not in a hurry, you could be lucky enough to witness and enjoy, certain 'one of a kind'  moments, when those 'yet to be born' sunflowers, turn ever so slightly, to embrace the tender warmth of the morning sun, awakening somewhere deep in the recesses of your mind, a steady stream of thoughts - of the munificence of the unseen hand of the creator, who is providing  such inspiring and memorable tidbits, and, leaving science aside, you rack your brain, trying to figure out, the myriad magical spells, hidden inside Nature's wand.