‘Today I celebrate the presence of grass’: Writer Ruskin Bond looks at the world from his window
July 31
Flower of the day: Indian pink
“Always lovely,” according to flower-lore. And when given to your sweetheart it says: “You are always lovely.”
I shall start each day of this journal with a flower and its symbolism, traditional or just my own personal meaning.
Why? Simply because it is a nice way to start the day.
Even if there’s no flower on the window ledge, there are flowers on the hillside, down in the valley, and in the greater world beyond the horizon.
Flowers are the ultimate symbol of creation. And when the last flower has faded and fallen, our world will be no more.
But this is no time to be pessimistic and melancholic. The last “pink” of summer is still blooming on my windowsill. And right next to it I see a little green shoot coming up.
It’s just a blade of grass.
But what would we do without grass? Our sheep, our cattle, our wild creatures, all depend on it. So do we, for wheat is grass; barley and maize and rice are all grass. Sugarcane is grass. Bamboo is grass, as any elephant will tell you. Most of our planet is covered with grass, except where we have replaced it with concrete. Sometimes a blade of...
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