Those Marigold Days
I was born into a world of Marigolds, and grew
up with them. I used to marvel at this romantic monsoon guest in our front yard
garden every year. The display of colors it showcased, the fragrance it spread
in the surroundings, the bees and butterflies it attracted, the very ambiance
it created with its vigorous growth of aromatic rich green leaflets ... what a
carnival this created in my little world of wonder.
When I was in school, I read about terminator genes in our local language science magazine “Sasthrakeralam” for the first time. Terminator genes had been developed by a few wicked scientists. I have no idea if the magazine still exists. At the time, it was a kind of bible for those kids interested in science. It warned about the nightmare the invention could inflict on farmers once the seed companies patented their invention. Not only on farmers, though, but eventually on all of humanity.
The
monsoon was a kind of fajr azan (morning call for prayer from mosques) for
the Marigold in hibernation. All the seeds lying buried under a thin layer of
dust coated in dry leaves emerged after the first drop of rain. The growth of
the vegetation after the first rains blanketed an entire geography in emerald
green. Nothing amazed me more after the daily light, sound and color show of
dusk and dawn giving a backdrop to the day-night transition rituals of every
day. The first drop of rain, the exotic scent of the soil, the variety of
resurfacing herbs, weeds, tubers and creepers majestically accompanied the
return of the Queen.
The
Marigold shows no signs of irritation even though it was disturbed from its
deep sleep. Shooting new leaves with beautiful patterns into the air, it erects
its stem boldly to bear blossom buds. The very experience of watching its
life-cycle from sprouting through to drying in the early spring taught me what
my books couldn’t. Much later in my life, my science mentor Dr. Paul told me
one of his friends had done research on the mosquito-repellent properties of
Marigolds. I recently stumbled upon a website that attests to this fact. Here
is an extract.
“Marigolds
are a great choice for repelling mosquitoes. Marigolds contain Pyrethrum, an
ingredient found in many insect repellents, and they have a unique aroma which
bugs find repulsive. The flowers themselves are beautiful and can make a great
border or addition to any flower bed! Try placing them around borders of your
home, and mosquitoes might not want to cross over!” (Taylor)
Well, last year I brought home and
planted a few Marigold seeds carefully collected from well-grown, mature plants
after their season had run its course, courtesy the Abha municipality
gardeners. That was the way we collected seeds in the village where I am from
in India. To my dismay, none sprouted. I remembered those two ominous words
again after twenty years: terminator genes. Had they been activated here, the
terminator genes my science bible was warning me about? Even in the home garden? Maybe my prayers had
not been heard, or if they had been heard, maybe they had not been granted by
Divine Providence? To what extent will
humankind’s greed for profits make it do things that will eventually take it to
the grave?
When I was in school, I read about terminator genes in our local language science magazine “Sasthrakeralam” for the first time. Terminator genes had been developed by a few wicked scientists. I have no idea if the magazine still exists. At the time, it was a kind of bible for those kids interested in science. It warned about the nightmare the invention could inflict on farmers once the seed companies patented their invention. Not only on farmers, though, but eventually on all of humanity.
‘’Terminator technology is the genetic
modification of plants to make them produce sterile seeds. They are also known
as suicide seeds. Terminator's official name – used by the UN and scientists –
is Genetic Use Restriction Technologies’ (GURTs).’’
http://www.progressio.org.uk/content/what-terminator-technology
I always prayed for it never to come true. You may
wonder why I chose to pray. As a boy from an orthodox middle class family, that
was the only solution I could think of then. Even now it is the best solution I
can think of. Humankind is on a
collision course, unstoppable seemingly – and it will require nothing short of
a miracle – divine intervention – to avert a looming disaster.
Works Cited:
1. http://www.progressio.org.uk/content/what-terminator-technology. n.d. documents. 28 February 2015.
2. Taylor, Janice. http://www.naturallivingideas.com/11-plants-that-repel-mosquitoes/.
13 March 2014. document. 28 February 2015.
Thank you 😊
ReplyDeleteYou have the soul of a poet ... I love marigolds and always stop whenever I see some to pick a few leaves and rub them between my fingers so they can release their lovely aroma. It's a lovely photo, by the way.
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