We had no television when I was six. Afternoons were spent reading, collecting flowers from my grandparent’s roof top garden. At six, that roof seemed to span the world. Not only did it provide lemon grass for my grandfather's tea, but also okra, mint, tomatoes and holy basil. It was magical. In the afternoons I would sit by the steps leading up to the roof with my books and read. And because we lived near the water, I would wait, even in the heat of the Indian summer afternoons for the blessed sea breeze in the evenings.
For me, stringing jasmine flowers on sewing thread with a needle was afternoon fun. Just like sitting with my 4-B graphite pencil and rough sketching paper drawing the hibiscus that had just fallen from the plant in the corner of the roof garden, while the adults slept through the lazy afternoon.
Yes, we had no mobile phones, no television and the radio was reserved for when my grandmother would listen to oldies from the 1920's and 30's on All India Radio. But, I learnt to entertain myself- I did things, made things, thought things. In some ways, I created my own eco-system- a sustainable one, with an never ending flow of ideas, mainly because I did it for myself. As an adult, I never pass by a green space without feeling a connection with it, for I know they nurture and grow more kinds of things than just plants.
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