Bhuvan and his methi-in-a-bottle...

Bhuvan, my buddy, posing mighty proudly with his methi in a recycled plastic bottle.

6.00 am and Bhuvan is in my patch, ready to help me water, take out weeds, dig up new beds, add the kitchen waste to the compost pot, collect dry leaves or even harvest amaranth or tomatoes... He took just two visits to learn the names of and identify all the vegetables and herbs growing in my patch. And many a times, when he brings along a new friend, it is fun to stand away and watch him happily introduce his guest to the vegetable...

Many of the seeds that he has helped me sow, have germinated and are growing very well. But this little bottle of methi is his own ! He cleaned and cut up the bottle, borrowed some soil and compost from me, some methi seeds from his Amma's masala dabba, and sowed them all on his own. A couple of days later when they germinated and pushed their little determined selves out of the soil, that morning, he ran to me shouting in excitement... "Aunty ! Aunty ! Look !! My methi has germinated !!!" And now, he brings his methi-in-a bottle to me every morning to acknowledge the growth. And I don't forget to appreciate both, his effort and the tenacity with which these few methi seeds are growing. This morning, Bhuvan insisted I taste one of the methi micro-greens and said... "Aunty, it may be a bit bitter, but it is very good for health ! You should eat them everyday, it will be very good for your health !" I was touched by his concern for me and his excitement and didn't let out the fact that there was a time, I was harvesting loads and loads of micro-greens and having them all day, for breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea-time and dinner. But I went along with his excitement, appreciated his concern and promised him I'd begin growing more methi and having some micro-greens everyday... :D 

And folks, he's also taking his methi-in-a-bottle all around the neighbourhood, showing it off to his friends, with the hope that more kids would join him in his fledgling green journey. I feel blessed to have him as a friend and to see him sincerely and excitedly go about with the first steps of his green journey, his little effort to do something for the earth...