Life and Spirituality

I was deeply touched today morning when a surprise certificate of appreciation arrived in my Twitter feed from Mahindra Rise at https://twitter.com/MahindraRise/status/1110046810121404416 I am deeply honored and perhaps there could be no better way for it than through a tree. Readers of this blog would know about my love for trees and my many posts on it, some of it shown on following search list, https://someitemshave.blogspot.com/search?q=tree Mahindra  and  Mahindra  Ltd is a mulit billion-dollar global enterprise headquartered in India with operations spanning over 21 industries in more than 100 countries. Mahindra Rise is their call to action to help improve planet and life of all that dwell upon it. For more information see https://www.mahindra.com/

While the planet needs humans to grow many more trees and forests to make up for the loss of last hundred years, food producing trees must be the choice now for the huge human population at present time. Walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, apples, mulberry family trees, bananas, coconut, drum stick trees are excellent choices depending on location and a grape vine on home walls is a near must for the modern age.

A ll trees are beneficial for the planet and the life that dwells upon it but if there is one that is more beneficial than most others in the warmer parts of the planet where winters are not cold enough to snow, then it is the Kachnar (Bauhinia or Phanera variegata ). It also known as the orchid tree or Mountain Ebony. It is truly a blessed tree with delicious edible flowers that are a beauty to behold. Kept in a flower vase by the bedside, they promote good sleep. The flowers are scented and attract humming birds much. An earlier post in this blog had described how fruit orchards can be made healthier by mixing in bio-diversity with other trees. Kachnar is a lovely tree to choose for this mix because its roots are nitrogen fixing and that along with its fallen leaves helps to keep the orchard much healthier than it would be otherwise over its life while adding beauty and food value to it. Moreover, because it does not grow to a very large size, it shall not impose upon the...

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tilia_x_europea-2.JPG This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. T rees make a tremendous contribution to improving climate and environment of the planet. Many provide food for birds, insects, animal and humans. All know of fruits and nuts from trees but the flowers and foliage of some are excellent as food too. At the present time, when population of humans on planets has increased to around seven billion, food producing trees must become the first choice for planting in homes, towns and forests. An earlier note in this blog described the Moringa or drumstick tree as an excellent one for food in warmer parts of the planet. Its foliage, flowers and fruits are all edible. In cooler parts of the planet another tree, Basswood is an excellent choice as a food tree. It is the best wild salad plant in North America. Basswood leaves make a good salad green in spring and early summ...

T here are numerous notes in this blog on usefulness of planting trees and about some well known varieties. Aside from improving climate and the planet, trees benefit all life in numerous ways. An interested reader could check out some of the significant notes on trees in this blog at the following link; http://someitemshave.blogspot.in/search?q=trees To plant a tree is a wonderful thing to do. One can begin with planting around one’s home, streets and parks nearby as well as other public spaces where such plantation is not prohibited, office and then the countryside. The activity can be done individually, as a family or a group of friends. It is a part of the Sun Inspired Yoga described elsewhere in this blog and some persons have started small groups called the Sunshine Group of Ten. One activity the group undertakes is planting trees in the countryside during picnics. A tree once planted may require some care for the first two or three years of its life before it gro...

A view of a Jamun (black berry tree), Morinda and grape wine in author's home T o produce all of one’s own food one would have to live on a farm. However, even the smallest apartment, even a small studio apartment can produce some of its own food and it is a pity if a home does not. Mung bean sprouts, a power house of nutrients can be grown right on a kitchen shelf. Just soak half a cupful of them for eight hours, drain and leave in a covered pot for two or three days while sprinkling with a little water every time you enter the kitchen.In three days it will fill up the pot with delicious mung bean sprouts. Many useful herbs such as celery, cilantro, parsley and basil are lovely in flower pots by a window. There is even a small pretty tree – the curry leaf tree – that looks lovely in a flower pot and its leaves are a delight when added to vegetarian preparations. Even nicer is a long rectangular container in which they may all grow together as a collage, your ...

A Custard Apple Tree W hile many forests on the planet have been removed over the last century for various human needs, many now realize that it was a mistake. Forests are an essential cover of Mother Earth, support life, help to stabilize climate extremes and absorb excess carbon year after year. Their fallen leaves help to improve fertility of soils. Aside from all this, forests are beautiful and while food feeds the body, forests feed the soul. The need is being felt acutely now to restore as much forest cover on the planet as possible and such efforts are underway in many parts of the world that have governments and citizens who are environmentally conscious and socially responsible. It may be pointed out that nature on its own replants forests on barren land that have some moisture over time if they are not disrupted by humans or much grazing. However because the natural process is a slow one and climate change needs more urgent, human effort is needed. Whil...

  T here is an older article in this blog on the Neem tree and its medicinal benefits but it does not mention its effects on sleep. For years now what was happening to my sleep is that after sleeping well for a few hours, sometime in the middle of the night I used to get up and feel completely awake. If   I stayed awake after that, I would feel tired the next day. Therefore I would just take a cup of tea, sit out in the patio for about half an hour, or work on a computer when after an hour or so a second round of deep sleep came. However, this also delayed the morning hour to get up. Four days ago, due to some unrelated reasons, I took a bunch of Neem leaves from a tree nearby and chewed them in the evening at around 5 pm. That night, I woke up again in the middle of the night for a visit to toilet and from old habit decided to check emails for an hour or so. But the moment I turned on the computer, I was sleepy again and began to doze off on the keyboard so I s...

A Lime or a Lemon? I n my younger days I suffered frequently from hay fever. The usual stuff prescribed by the doctors such as Avil would suppress symptoms for a while but it kept coming back between the ages of 16 and 24 until someone mentioned that a lemon a day helps and it did. In a few months the attacks stopped and have never occurred again. Perhaps one grows out of them with age too. Ever since, I have grown lemon or lime trees at home whenever the opportunity has arisen, preferring the variety without thorns for a home garden. Plants needed thorns in the wilderness to protect themselves from grazing animals but they do not need that kind of a protection in a home garden. As a small tree they are an excellent choice for small gardens and in hot summers remain at hand for a refreshing cool drink in tall galsses sweetened with a bit of honey or crushed jaggery and topped with ice cubes The distinction between lime and lemons is not made in India and they go by the sam...

Indian Gooseberry P erhaps of all trees, one that qualifies to be named as the godly physician tree is the Amla tree. It is also known as the Indian Gooseberry and its botanical name is Phyllanthus emblica. It is a pretty tree with its delicate foliage that grows well on the warm plains of South Asia. It is a truly precious gift of mother earth to mankind. This tree may not fruit well if grown as a single tree in a garden (some do though) or as several together in an orchard. However it will fruit very well if a grown in an orchard with about one fifth other trees spaced through the orchard or another fruit planted as every third row for ease of picking.  One may plant other fruit trees of a similar height for that. Several parts of this tree including leaves have medicinal value but the most beneficial part are the fruits. It is a difficult fruit to eat raw because of its strong taste; however its taste improves in salted or sweet preserves. It is especially useful ...

  Y ou might recall from some fairy tales including the epic- Lord of the Rings – how trees become life like and come to the aid of the hero at a moment of need. Fairy tales are fantasies but born out of human consciousness, they symbolize hidden truths. I might just mention how in my life, trees came to my aid at a dire moment of need too. For over seven years beginning sometime perhaps (did not keep an exact record of dates) in 2004 and going on in to 2012, I suffered from fatigue and shortness of breath on slight exertion. My daughter is an internal medicine specialist and she as well as another doctor in my neighborhood conducted thorough medical examinations but could not find any real cause for the same. I am open to non-invasive diagnosis but averse to use of modern chemical medicines except in emergencies, preferring natural methods for chronic conditions. Personally I felt the cause might be related to an episode of angina I had suffered earlier and the af...

    Harad, the King of Medicinal Trees O f all medicinal trees, perhaps the most useful one is Terminala Chebula known locally as Harad or Haritaki in the Himalayas. It truly is a gift from the gods and mother earth for mankind and this blogger is sorry he did not learn of it much earlier. It is a deciduous tree growing to 30-metre tall, with a trunk up to 1 meter in diameter.   The flowers are dull white with spikes. The fruit is hard and each fruit has a single seed.  The seed of the fruit has an elliptical shape, enveloped by a fleshy and firm pulp. It is regarded as a universal panacea in  Ayurvedic Medicine and Traditional Tibetan medicine. It is reputed to improve eyesight in the aging and is believed to inhibit the growth of malignant tumors, is rejuvenating and helps to control weight. It also helps cure many common disorders of stomach as well as the entire digestive tract. It helps the mind, memory and nervous system. In fact, so br...

International Yoga day At the behest of the inspiring new Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji, June Twenty first has been declared as the International day of Yoga by the United Nations. Having initiated the idea, it is perhaps incumbent on India to contribute ideas as to how this day may be celebrated. Today morning an email arrived in my inbox from a government agency that maintains contact with citizens at large to contribute ideas for the day that would be communicated to the PM. I enthusiastically responded sending three ideas. The first was a bit of art work carrying the caption – Vasudev Kutambakam – a phrase coined by ancient yogis who declared that all life is one family, indeed as modern genetic science has verified; humans, animals, plants and bacteria are born of a common gene pool and share many genes. The ultimate goal of yoga to move out of our limited personal desires and unite with those of All.   The art work was developed using the base ...

  Mr. Squirrel sun bathing on his Neem Patio A zadirachta indica , also known as Neem , is a tree in the mahogany family. It is native to South Asia and also grows in islands in the southern part of Iran. Its fruits and seeds are the source of Neem oil . It is a fast growing tree that can reach heights of up to 20 meters easily. If a tree is to be regarded as the symbol of humility, it has to be the Neem Tree. It grows without any care in arid areas. Birds and squirrels love its fruit and to build homes amongst its branches. At the same time it repels insects, bacteria, viruses and other microbes. Mosquitoes like to move away from areas where it grows. And planted as some of the trees of an orchard it will discourage infestations that sometimes attack orchards lacking biodiversity ( see here for bio-diverse orchards) . Presently the olive groves of Europe are under such an attack. Neem leaves are dried and placed within clothes and in rice bins to keep away infestati...

Jacaranda Trees along a Street Seeds, fruits and foliage feed  the body Beauty of  flowers feeds the soul J acaranda is a flowering tree in the family Bignoniaceae , native to tropical and subtropical regions of   South America. It has been planted widely in Asia and Australia now. Jacaranda can be propagated from grafting, cuttings and seeds though plants grown from seeds take a long time to bloom. Jacaranda grows in well drained soil and tolerates drought and brief spells of frost and freeze. Several are widely grown as ornamental trees throughout the subtropical regions of the world because of their intense flower displays. It has a delicate and pretty foliage too and makes a great potted plant as well until it grows to a height of three feet or so at which time it must be transferred to garden, park or the forest.  Blue Jacaranda is used in medicine and industry. It’s wood, in a cream and pink tone and pleasant smell, is used in cabinet mak...

Gulmohar tree, foliage and flowers   Trees add value to the planet since all produce oxygen, add organic matter to soil, help stabilize climate and offer sites for birds and insects to make their homes and playgrounds on. Some trees produce food  for humans and diary animals and these need to be given emphasis in modern times because of a currently huge and rising population on the planet. Nonetheless, beauty is required too because While fruit and seeds feed the body, beauty feeds the soul . While it is trees like the almond, peach and cherry that provide beauty as well as food in cooler parts of the planet, it is trees like Palash, Gulmohar and Jacaranda that are some of the most beautiful trees in regions with hot summers. The Gulmohar tree is a beautiful tree because both its flowers and feathery fern-like leaves are exceedingly beautiful. Flowers range in color from yellow to bright red. The botanical name of this plant is Delonix regia. It is also kn...

On the banks of Sattal ( Seven lakes region of Himalayas) T he photo above is one from the District of Nainital (The seven lakes region) in Himalayas showing this author along with his adopted son and grandson in the summer of 2010. This district is still full of lovely trees but sadly that is not the case with many other parts of the world today. Over the last century as human population has increased on the planet the population of trees has gone down drastically due to human activity. This has led to a deterioration of the environmental quality of the planet as well as climate instabilities.   A reduction of trees on the planet and the resulting change of wind directions may well be the cause of recent Saharan dust pollution in Europe. Global deforestation sharply accelerated around 1852. It has been estimated that about half of the Earth's mature tropical forests—between 7.5 million and 8 million km 2 of the original 15 million to 16 million km 2 that unt...