Brahmasri Chaganti Koteswararao

Brahmasri Chaganti Koteswararao

With the sun rising across Roosevelt Island, the hurrying East River below, everything seems beguilingly peaceful and quiet from the glass window. Almost three decades back, a devoted Indian scholar started his American adventure from a small apartment in Manhattan. How hard it must have been for him in those days to keep his soul and pious traditions in tact? Even now it is not easy to get vegetarian dishes in many places in North America. A little better, yes, but still it is hard to find a delicious satisfying morsel with only vegetables and grains. How can we imagine the hardships of those pioneering souls? Crossing the oceans on ships, surviving the entire travel only on canned tomatoes, and adhering to daily ablutions and performing prescribed meditative prayers. Thus they came despite all distractions, disappointments, and humiliating trials. That was how, Vivekananda landed in Chicago. Or, Prabhupada. Or, any other philosopher from the land of ancient civilization. Much of the goodwill and courtesy, enjoyed by the present Indian emigrants everywhere, is due to those early path breakers. Irrefutably so. That is because, they are all from, and form an original human thought continuum.

One may ask why? Why did they undertake such difficult voyages? A saint need not go anywhere. Need not give speeches. The great saints are always beyond the normal ethos of civilization. Their presence alone is sufficient to bring auspiciousness all around – like that Rishyasrunga. They may act out of their own volition, may not act, it is all up to them. Like the celestial Narada’s actions, their mistakes too benefit mankind. So, if a youth in jeans asks, “Why did Prabhupada come to New York?” the answer is a bit long one. He strictly followed his guru’s words. He wanted to tell in English the true meaning of Krishna, Gita, Bhagavatam, and other scriptures. He wanted to convey without distortion the original message as he experienced through his insights. Truly a veritable source of infinite (not phony, feigned) compassion resides in the heart of a saint. And it is that bubbling compassion that prompts, pushes such good souls into beneficial action.

Without the works of such swamis (look at the original Sanskrit word), the larger world and India would be poorer. It will be left with grossly mangled twisted interpretations of Upanishads, Hindu (sanatana would be a better word) mythologies, and religious practices. Many (with very few exceptions) westerners lack the language credentials and critical thinking to understand the original (which were enshrined in Sanskrit and other Indian vernaculars) writings. (Certainly some of their sincere efforts are laudable) In addition to their dismal understanding of Sanskrit, they often try to read Indian religious works with the biases of anthropology, Freud, or whatever favor-of-the-month fashion/thought. Now such exercises are good for academic promotions, glib alcohol dripping talk, - but they never address life’s fundamental issues – they slowly sink into the quick sands of hypocrisy. Therefore, such attempts often lead to tragic catastrophes both for its proponents and followers.

The current Indian urban youth and diasporic children are faced with huge cultural problems. It is there for anyone to observe, right in front of eyes. Much of the generation gap (I never heard the word in Telugu, in my school or college days) and discordance with elders is rooted there. Is it due to nuclear families? Earlier, we used to interact and mingle with people across generations – from great grandmother to the newborn crawling nephew. Some will discard the old tradition like an old dress or used car. Others will struggle to explore and try to find the “real meaning” of scriptures, daily practices, etc. Is there any help for such curious youngsters? All explorers are young and innocent at heart. Certainly, there is.

Why do we need the help of elders, priests, or books? Because, every enquiring mind will have questions. And questions are galore, everywhere. But time is of essence. One must question everything – be it religion, science, or art. Certainly a civilization of millennia, with practices handed down by hundred generations and diverse regions will have many interesting, albeit intriguing at times, festivals, functions, and ceremonies. That is the beauty of life. People unfamiliar with such a tapestry of culture ask: Why does the father-in-law wash bridegroom’s feet? Why does the priest (in a Vaishnava temple) put a metal cap ( a youth amusingly called it “topi”) on your head? How come Vishnu is always adorned in flowers and flowing silk? Why Siva gets only ashes and buckets of water?

For answers, one needs patience, persistence, and a bit of self-effort. One can ask the priest (no shame in that), read on line Sanskrit (Telugu, Hindi, etc.) dictionaries, or pick a book from sidewalk vendor or a temple store. A sincere beginning can be made. With luck, soon one learns many things. Quickly the curious young mind will discover valuable meaning in the Indian traditions. We must really pay our gratitude to all our grand parents, parents, uncles, and aunts – for strenuously preserving and passing on these traditions. Many of the older generations succeeded in handing down the rituals despite the persistent onslaught of foreign influences in the guise of rationality and material prosperity. Except a liberated guru, no one, no one (like that catchy phrase from a pop song!) will uplift the other, neither the Sensex nor office boss. This, many elders will honestly attest as a genuine fact in life.

Now, we come to one very illustrious exponent of our scriptures. He is Brahmasri Chaganti Koteswararao*. The world Telugu community is really fortunate, nay blessed to have such a great scholar in current times. Words cannot convey, but we are immensely indebted to him and his teacher. Many of his extempore commentaries on Ramayana, Siva, and other topics are posted on the Internet. It is thrilling to hear a live voice, explaining the meaning behind Kanakadhara Stotra. I do not know much about other languages; but in Telugu we have this practice, rather age-old tradition of commentaries on various Hindu texts and philosophical treatises. In towns and villages across Andhra Pradesh, elderly (retired) people are often seen in the cool evenings to cluster around a learned scholar to listen to the subtle meaning behind a poem, a sloka, or a story from the ancient puranas. Such discourses were always free, open to everyone - young and old, and rich and poor alike. We hope the practice will continue with such gifted teachers well into next generations. Many of us ardently feel that innocent future grand children will not be deprived (robbed) of their rightful inheritance, of traditional Hindu culture and philosophy.

Without an understanding of ancient Hindu scriptures, all classical dance, music (Carnatic), and Indian literature comes to a grinding halt. Without that eternal spring of spirituality, everything else just withers away.

* http://te.srichaganti.net/Pravachanams.aspx

Copyright 2009

Long Purple Eggplant

Long Purple Eggplant

Growing couple of eggplants on a deck, verandah, or porch is an enticing dream for any gardener in the summer. In India, this vegetable comes in many shapes and sizes: small, long, fat, oval, round, green, white, and dark purple. It is widely used in many dishes in south India – from simple curries, sambar, chutneys, and even in pickles. People keep the sun dried eggplant slices safely stored for preparing out-of-season tasty dishes. If one is not allergic to this simple vegetable, one can enjoy this modest native vegetable throughout the year. Both in south and north India, I have tasted very delicious dishes out of this vegetable. The large round ones (weighing almost a kilo) are ideally suited for making vankayi pachchadi (వంకాయి పచ్చడి). They can be cooked (baked) in an oven or fireplace or red hot coals. Cooking eggplants or sweet potatoes on the hearth in a fire place is a pleasant diversion during the chilly nights in North America. Near Visakha, we used to roast cashew nuts in fire (made from old newspapers) on idle Sundays. I can still recall those middle school days vividly even now. Our drawing teacher (those were really simple days, we never had fancy art teachers – just drawing master, music teacher, or craft master) asked us to make a pencil drawing of a long curvy eggplant. And then we had to color it using crayons. Some colors really catch our eyes and their intensity remains forever on our retinas (mind). Of those, I will always remember eggplant color and the yellow of tamarind flower.

This writer has grown many things - tomatoes, bell peppers, string beans, mint, coriander, pumpkin, melon, sun flowers, gongura (గోంగూర), cauliflower, potatoes, etc. But this is the first time I have attempted to grow the long purple eggplant (the farmer introduced these as “little fingers”) in containers. Many years ago, Gora used to exhort people to grow vegetables in front of offices and collector bungalows. Those were really hard days, India was struggling with limited wheat and rice crops. There is some value in that, i.e., growing valuable food in limited space or vacant (idle) city land. He might have went too far in his rationality. Flower plants also do extreme good, they promote happiness and health around.

This time I resorted to container vegetable gardening out of sheer necessity. On the ground the writer has to wrestle with squirrels, rabbits, deer, and other animals. So, that is the paradox of life: Like the line, “Water, water everywhere/But not a drop to drink”, plenty of space to grow, but very little protection from a squirrel bite. At least above ground, I have been able to fence off some area and enjoy flowers and vegetables. At the farmers market, we got a six pack of eggplant seedlings for a dollar. Now, the tricky job is to grow at least six long shiny purple eggplants in the limited short summer season here. Is it possible to bring this fancy gardening to fruition without throwing loads of money? I want to beat my Bengali Cornell friend in this game. It is feasible with a bit of sensitive touch and dirty hands.

We used some leftover plastic pots. Just recycled the old ones. I could have used old broken plastic pails, juice cans, or gallon milk jugs. In principle we can use any container for vegetable gardening. The containers do not have to be pretty. For a flower plant, I may be a bit choosy, just to bring out pleasing color and style. Layered the bottom with some old pine needles, bark, and coconut shell pieces. I avoided using heavy rocks or crock; that keeps the pots a bit light. In containers, our main problems are twofold. One is to provide sufficient drainage for water. This is essential when we get soaking downpours in summer here. The second one is to give plenty of nutrients for the plant. I collected high quality compost from the county’s recycling yard. So, a bit of compost, some top soil, and a shovel of organic manure – that is enough for eggplant. If needed, we can add a bit of sand to keep the soil loose. Fully decomposed compost is easy to recognize: It is dark black, loose and free of lumps.

The eggplants were transplanted into 9” – 12” diameter plastic containers. Before transferring, I scored/scratched the roots a few places. Otherwise, the root bound plant tends to be lethargic and does not spread its root system easily in the container. All the plants at present have at least one eggplant; some have six or seven hanging from their stems. Most of the leaves (except the oldest ones at bottom) are dark green and there are good number of flowers ready for pollination. Eggplants have both male and female flowers on a single plant. I have noticed one bee coming and going around each flower daily. So, that saves the need for any hand pollination. Anyway, which farmer can hand pollinate each plant? Once the frost starts, I will have to bring them indoors to save the last pick of the crop. So far, this exercise seems to be profitable. No pests, not even the Japanese beetle. Not bad for a dollar. Of course, plenty of care, watering, fertilizing went into it. But these slender eggplants are a rare treat in northeast and the view across a glass window is wonderful. Used 24-8-16 garden fertilizer solution twice a month. A bamboo stake helps the plant from the downward pull of heavy eggplants. In the fields here, farmers just leave the plants without any support.

I wish we had attempted growing eggplants in our garden during my childhood. For some reason, we did not try. But I did remember seeing eggplants in our drawing master’s garden. He had a nice collection of tropical trees like drumstick, sapotas, date, and curry leaf. There in India too, one can buy the seedlings in a farmers’ market. We can grow from the seeds but they need to be transplanted for good results. Here in cold climates, our troubles are many. A short growing season, lack of sun light, too much rain, or bugs. (I must remark in passing, right now even the coastal farmers in India too are going through hard times due to drought. Tough life for farmers, always, everywhere anywhere.) The growing season can be extended a bit by starting transplants indoors in the beginning. One can try a transparent plastic cover in the fall to extend the season for a week or two. In principle, we can save one healthy fruit (eggplant) for seeds. We tried saving for seeds for other vegetables like white pumpkin, snake gourd, gongura, thotakura (తోటకూర), spinach, etc., with good results.

Due to the wet summer this year, I did not have to water the plants frequently. Sometimes, the plants went without watering for three or four days at a stretch. On hot days the leaves exhibit a bit of wilting but soon they recover during the cool nights. The conventional eggplant, found in supermarkets here is the large variety. My friend used to call it as the ‘buffalo eggplant’ due to its enormous size. When we grow these vegetables personally in our gardens, we tend to pick them a bit early, so the eggplants are soft and have fewer seeds. Some people are allergic to the seeds. In India, I did not come across an eggplant (the ones found in markets) with thorns on the stem. But here, most eggplants have one or two thorns on the green stem (is it pedicle?). I did see some wild eggplants (ones that grow in abandoned fields) in India with thorns. Nothing very bothersome but something that need to be watched while slicing the fruit (vegetable) for cooking.

In the early days I hardly cared about these blogs. Many were written spontaneously to encapsulate a particular theme. But I was pleasantly surprised when some of my blogs (a post on Curry Leaf Plant, a blog on a famous carnatic song) attracted thousands. Still, it does not mean anything nor does it prove any hypothesis. Perhaps, some readers find them useful. Or, one of my blogs might have inspired someone to grow a curry leaf plant or venture into singing.

In any case, the writer is obliged to all such anonymous readers. I hope they will continue to find these ruminations worth reading. Whether the article is on music or gardening, it is always written from real first hand experience. In that sense, these blogs are authentic, a genuine distillation of many hours, days, or even months of effort and toil. Copyright 2009

Gardenia Veitchii

Gardenia …Gardenia Veitchii

 

Oh, what a sweet wait and struggle! This double white strong scented tropical plant needed weeks of warm spring sun rays and gentle moonlit nights – all just to coax couple of tender angel white flowers.  What a pretty flower? Petals soft leathery white with fragrance spreading to the whole room. But like that tropical magnolia species – champaca (sampenga in Telugu), it is worth all the trouble and pampering. On the Internet there must be many sites discussing care of this temperamental (temperamental, which plant is not really? Or, for that matter, which child is not moody and temperamental?) tropical flowering plant. When one reads all the information on the net, one is frustrated – due to many demands of this shrub. But, as always, a grain of practice is worth a pound of idle theory.

When did I first notice this unique flower? In that coastal village, all most all the houses in our street used to have at least the single flower variety. In Andhra, we used to call it by nandi vardhanamu (nandi refers to the immaculate white color, Gardenia Lucida?). There it was ubiquitous, reveling in the humid weather and cool nights. The single flower variety needs very little care – just people planted in their little gardens and forgot about it. It would grow all by itself into a large shrub with stout trunk and yield basketful of sweet smelling flowers with inch long stems. Very handy for making long garlands. But what about the double flower variety? Even today, some old memories come rushing in the bat of an eye. In coed high school days, the luckiest boys were the ones behind the row of girls. Often a whole day was spent imbibing the gardenia scent emanating from the girl student’s oily braid in the front. Amidst such daunting distractions, we had to study Srinatha, Nannaya, Pythagoras theorem and total internal reflection and of course, Jonathan Swift.

But this double flower  (mudda nandi vardhanamu) created another inerasable imprint on a young innocent mind. I was walking home through a neighbor’s garden in a moonlit night late evening, after first show? The garden was a prize possession of a munificent landlord. As I was reaching the gate, a sudden intense waft caught my attention. I could barely see the yellow hued white flower delicately held to  a tall shrub in the corner. The scent resembles that of Gardenia Veitchii – but the gardenia smells in India appear to be a bit sweeter and milder. Much later I came to know that the neighbor brought many rare plants from Bangalore. That garden, even today I consider to be the best I have ever seen anywhere. Because it contained everything – from water lily, fern, rose,  to Rangoon creeper. And many more. It had all types of plants except bonsai. The master gardener there, Katlayya, was an exceptional green thumb. I never witnessed a single blade of grass turn yellow nor a single rajnigandha stem without flowers.  That was then, a single head gardener could produce an earthly paradise  - all without modern techniques – just with a handful of assistants. Perhaps it is a divine gift – some can make everything they touch into beautiful. Who can say that there are no gandharvas here?

I noticed some confusion in the nomenclature – popular names and botanical names for this shrub. I will look into that later carefully. The leaf structure and flower details are visible in the photos here.  The flower has light yellowish stamen; they are not clear here either due to the flash or perhaps it did not fully open yet.

Soil: After tending many plants, a gardener may occasionally forget about the exact soil mixture for a particular container plant. Such things do happen once in a while. (This is similar to what expert cooks experience -  good cooks can always improvise tasty dishes even with modest ingredients! They do not need written recipes) But in the care free joyful hobby of gardening – there is an interesting observation. I am sure many avid gardeners will testify to the veracity of this observation:  In the hands of  a master (or call green thumb, if you will) gardener, even a troublesome plant will tolerate some abuse and benign neglect. Thus, the gardener will pick a handful (I mean trowelful) of compost, backyard loam, and sand and throws the mixture into a container and tucks in the new addition. And lo, in a few weeks, most plants will thrive and yield colorful flowers. Even if such gardener heaps a good bit of neglect, still the plant will not die. To a beginner, this may appear strange and magical. I think there is some invisible understanding between the plants and expert gardeners. They are always under a loving watchful eye. The plants know it and the gardener feels it too. 

Now a plant like gardenia does not ask much – I mean if it is located in tropical sun with plenty of sunshine and rain water. Back in those days in most villages we never had any miracle-grow plant food nor bone meal. In tropical places, one can just plant this shrub in a pile of brick rubble and still it will give heavenly redolent flowers. All it needs in such sunny places, is a decent drainage and some water. In coastal Andhra Pradesh, I used to find this plant with smiley white flowers during most of the year. Of course, gardenia always is fond of rain drops. I still vividly remember this scene from years back – I would go to a neighbor’s garden for collecting flowers and there I was enchanted by the large carpet of white gardenia flowers glistening with cool rain drops from the previous night. So many (these were mostly single flower type) flowers with delicate scent. The double flowers – they were a bit rare, they used to hide behind tender shoots. But the double flowers – they compensated for their small numbers with their intense head swooning sweet fragrance.

When this plant is bought from a local store, it is often potted with peat moss. Peat moss has one disadvantage: When it dries, it is really bone dry. Thus, it is better to remove the plant from the store bought container and repot. The one shown in photo is about five month old plant. I used backyard compost, sand, and a bit of organic manure for repotting. Just for safety, I used a clay pot. I lost two gardenias earlier; one got severe pest (aphids?) infestation and the other could not cope up with chilly winter and its master’s prolonged absence. (Plants seem to be more attached to people than pets!).  I placed plenty of pebbles/brick pieces/charcoal at the bottom to give ample drainage for the plant. This plant likes moist soil – uniformly moist most of the time. But it does not tolerate standing water. Standing water at the roots can give rise to bugs.

Acid soil and pH

Like rhododendrons and azaleas, gardenias like the soil a bit on the acid side. This is not really big problem. Peat moss and dried cow manure can bring this acidity to the soil. Intermittently, the plant can be given a bit of kitchen vinegar. No harm done. We can also use a sprinkling of acid plant food granules (16-2-3, Scott’s or other brand) to keep pH on the lower side; this food also contains iron. If the plant is getting proper nourishment (plenty of sun light and nutrients from soil), it will exhibit green shiny leaves. Yellowing leaves can be an indication of improper pH – but not always. For example, in bright sun the plant’s older leaves (lower side, closer to the root system) will naturally turn yellow and drop off. This is nothing to worry. Sometimes, excess water in the roots can produce yellowing of leaves. By careful watching, one can adjust the soil to suit gardenia’s moods.

I have used flowering plant sticks and dilute plant food solution (ex: Vigoro) with good results. Bone meal also yields good results. For flowers, the plant needs just plenty of sun shine and moderate warm temperatures. Now that is a tall order in the bone-chilling-cold northeast. Still, now I can say with experience this is doable and we can get flowers from this difficult tropical prized plant. I just put it near south window during winters. Thus, it gets all the available light. Due to sudden fluctuations or chills, it may shed a few flower buds. Again, that happens to lots of other plants. I have seen it with magnolia. In this sense, hibiscus is the only sturdy one. Most of the time, hibiscus (the tropical variety) brings all its buds to successful blooming. If sun light is lacking, any artificial lighting will do – either incandescent table lamps, fluorescent light bulb/tube, or the red spectrum corrected fluorescent lamp used in green houses.

Watering

An occasional interruption of watering does not lead to death. For a day, gardenia can go thirsty – just its leaves (particularly the top tender shoots) will droop begging for water. When the plant is full of leaves, during hot summer days there will be significant loss of water. In such times, it needs a bit more water. I have used spray on the leaves without any adverse effects. It would be good to have access to clean stream water, rain water, distilled water, or mineral water (even water from dehumidifier). Hard water (water with excess calcium or magnesium salts) will leave white sooty marks on the green leaves. During dry times (indoor heating, winter), the plant can be left in a gentle shower (lukewarm ok, but not warm). It really enjoys taking bath, a poor substitute for a tropical downpour! When the plant gets sufficient water, its leaves are turgid, erect , and happy.

I am sure new plants can be grown from cuttings (similar to jasmine). I have not yet pruned this plant yet; when I do, I will have a number of cuttings for rooting. Small suckers also seem to propagate from the mother plant. I plan to put it outside once the night temperatures climb up to 60 degrees °F.

So far I have not encountered any serious pest problem with this plant. On the new leaves, I notice small specks of black/green dots. I just remove them with a clean tissue or dislodge them with a jet spray. I have a homemade brew of horticultural oil, dish water soap, and capsicum extract. Most of the time, a single spray of this solution takes care of all pests. I find pests on crossandra more bothersome than on gardenia. Will add additional tips for pests when I run into that problem. Usually if the plant is given proper watering, sun light, and mild fertilizer – then the plant takes care of itself. (copyright)

 

[This post is dedicated to the memory of a dear cousin (Ch. S. R. M). In a brief life, she touched the hearts of many and gave all she could. Like a container-confined Gardenia Veitchii, all she ever wanted in life was a ray of humanity. Wherever she is now, I hope, like an apsara, she is beyond the pettiness of earthly life.]

copyright 4/24/09

Monochromatic Grating

Meditative steps through

Fresh talcum of snow

Through the dark and light linear stripes

Is ennui

A predicament of man alone?

Cold wind, freezing rain,

Or overcast dark evening late fall

Formless leaded clouds

Do they bother the feathered couple?

The lady is asleep weightless

With beak tucked in her chest

She has no cares - floating in sublime peace

Peace of dreamland

Why not?

Her Cygnus is right beside her

Showering affection and 

Covering with a blanket of security

And serenity

Thought of feeding some nuts

But, then changed my mind quickly

Why disturb that elegant

Lovely peace of the couple?

Cannot intrude the zone of

That intimate hamsa-dwaya

In times past

These slits would shine with colors

Splatter with rainbow painted droplets

Who knows whether there would

Be colored lights this time

With the falling Hedges

And the subliming subprime MBS

Who knows whether

This holiday season will be

Chromatic or monochromatic

copyright 1/4/09