Ek Titli.Org for heroes of the environment
Like tiny sparks in the star lit sky, the seedlings emerged from the seed bed. Regular watering and care was bearing fruits. Fangchu was extremely pleased with the efforts he had put in the last two weeks.
He had placed all the containers on the window sill that received at least 4-5 hours of sunshine and watered them twice daily. He was careful to keep the soil moist and not drench it with water for fear of the seeds catching fungus.
Even Ma was happy with the progress. Once in a while she would check on them, and Fangchu to do the needful.
The seedlings had grown at least 3-4 cms tall which Ma had anticipated. A few days back she had gotten a certain well lit patch in the garden cleared and tilled.
Fangchu had a hunch. He knew something is special about today. The past two weeks there has been not much activity apart from caring for the seedlings. In spite of finishing his homework and other chores, his patience was wearing off.
His excitement was well answered. Just around 4 in the afternoon, Ma called out to Fangchu and asked him to get all the containers to the cleared area in the garden along with a pail of water.
Kia was questioning everything!
“How did the seeds turn into leaves?”
“Can trees be grown in such small containers?”
“Why is Ma asking bhaiya to get all the containers to the garden? What is the garden going to do to the seedlings?”
She thought innocently. Her thoughts were broken by Fangchu’s call. She rushed to help him. Together they took all the containers to the chosen spot where Tweego stood.
Ma poured some water into the soil at the cleared patch to get the soil ready. She then looked through all the containers and selected the saplings that met her criteria. They had to be at least 3 cms tall.
The chosen ones were watered too, until the soil was drenched.
“Fangchu could you help me by digging a few holes in the soil?” Ma asked.
“Gently dig as deep and wide as your index finger.” She directed Fangchu.
Kia loved the soil. Even before Fangchu could get to the task, Kia was already at it. Tweego joined the party by digging the whole patch with his paws! It was a muddy bath which both of them were thoroughly enjoying. Flabbergasted, Fangchu looked at Ma and smiled. Ma laughed and encouraged the two soil-diggers to finish quickly. It was a moment of extreme delight for her. Her eyes twinkled and glowed with amusement and happiness.
Instantly the kids saw the love in their Ma’s eyes. They hugged her while Tweego continued digging, wagging his tail profusely.
