Plants are people for her

Rajam Iyer talks to them, encouraging them to flower.

October 11, 2014 06:40 pm | Updated May 23, 2016 07:33 pm IST

A drop in the bucket: She advises people against spending too much on chemicals and suggests people to grow at least one plant at home. Photo: Vaishali R. Venkat

A drop in the bucket: She advises people against spending too much on chemicals and suggests people to grow at least one plant at home. Photo: Vaishali R. Venkat

From age five, Rajam Iyer has been interested in agriculture and horticulture.

One day, outside a temple, she saw a flower seller sprinkling water on flowers from a pot into which she had dipped her dirty hand only a little while ago, after finishing her meals. Rajam felt disgusted at the thought of ‘stained’ flowers decorating the deities. Then, she decided she would grow her own flowers at home to offering the deities.

Water scarcity in Chennai however forced her to put her plans on hold. Eight years later, after she had shifted to a new place, where water was available in sufficient quantities, she began to grow trees and flowering shrubs. Now, she has around 800 to 900 flower pots on the terrace of her house, which measures over a ground.

Among the flowering plants, she has varieties of jasmine, roses of all colours, button rose, hibiscus of all colours, sampangi , kanakambaram , vishu-special kanikonna (golden shower tree), kozhi kondai , vellai mandarai , sangu pushpam , samandhi,parijadappoo , marikozundu , white and red arali and many more. Among trees, vilvam ( bael ), Citrus fruits, guava, coconut, mango and drumstick. Among vegetables, tomatoes, four types of spinach leaves and flat beans. She also grows medicinal plants such as arugambul and tulasi (basil).

To set up this terrace garden, she has spent nearly one lakh. She gives excess flowers, if any, to her neighbours. “I pay Rs.1,500 to a person towards maintenance charges and he will sprinkle on the plants every day.”

She says she is in communion with plants and flowers for an hour in the morning, and for another hour in the evening. “I ask a few plants why they don’t blossom in spite of the special care I lavish on them. I ask them if they are angry with me,” she explains. Rajam is supported by her son and daughter who buy her seeds often. Whenever she travels across the country, she does not fail to shop for seeds and plants.

For those interested in gardening, Rajam has a few tips, “I use as fertilisers only leftover food such as boiled rice, idly or dosa, vegetable skins, coffee and tea dust. I also use Margo oilcake once in three months and cowdung-mixed water once a week to kill the worms in the plants. To kill the caterpillars in the drumstick trees, I sprinkle ‘hold ash.’ Also, the pots need to be big so that there will be enough space for the roots to spread.”

She advises people against spending too much on chemicals and requests them to grow at least one plant at home. She says she is willing to guide them. Rajam can be contacted at 9677128487/ 9500032108.

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