Growth

 

Best Memories of Childhood

 

As a houseplant grower and gardener, I have watched things grow very closely from childhood. My father was the most influential person when it came to growing plants and vegetables. We four siblings ran endlessly into the woods picking berries and, in the farms, picking fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, local berries and ran to the banks of Yamuna River, (One of the five holy rivers of India) to wash the fruits and enjoy them with little packages of salt and red chili or specially seasoned salt made in Varanasi by our distant relatives. We would sit under the Banyan tree and spend hours listening to parrots and peacocks in the background, hear the cows mooing and clanging their bells. 

 

My sister and I, back in Gokul in 2022

Cattle belonging to the decedents of my fathers friends

View from the terrace of my ancestral place 

With us there would be also distant cousins from other cities, towns and villages. Local farmers' kids would also join us for various adventures. The farmers were my father's best friends as they all grew up together in this little village, Gokul. It was our privilege to be invited into their homes to play. We were not allowed to eat in their homes, but our friendship grew without much fuss or formalities. During those summer break vacations to grandmother's place, we learned to make toys out of bamboo straws and watched how they made woven baskets and mats. I also learned to make cow dung cakes. To swing on the trees and fetch water from the nearby well. To play for hours on the banks of the river during winter break catching frogs and turtles and releasing them back into the waters.  

We all share the joy of growing vegetables

My siblings and I were fortunate growing up in a big city like Mumbai and still able to play in the wild, connect with local farmers and community in the village where lives were simple and relationships between people were based on nothing but love and kindness. 

I grew up, went to school and married my husband, Nilesh. Life brought changes, I moved to the USA at the age of 22. For the first 20 years the visits were strictly to see the family members and make sure our children got to know every member of our family in India. It was important that my children knew where they came from, and what an extended family means.

With the growth of our family and other needs, back then we did not make as many trips as we would have liked. My husband and I were doing the best we could in the early life; with three young children in schools, sports and other activities, life became a little bit more distant from India than I would have liked.  Like any other parents, I too wanted my children to be kind, compassionate and caring towards the world.  

My tours to India in 2018 and 2020 with my friend Amy Butler have taken me back exactly where I was in my childhood. Meeting people in the markets of Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Kutch, and Jaipur has made me think deeper into the culture and communities of my homeland and their impact on my life.   

 

 

The woman who taught me the power of a smile and human connection.  

Over time, the desire to share the pride people of India feel in their heritage, crafts, and creativity and daily work has beautifully intertwined with my own deep need to return to India and share the immense joy it brings me. Each visit connects me with people of every walk of life and their humility and kindness teaches me to be better.

My dear friend Mr. Kantilal with his family in Gujarat

In the last five years post Covid, I have gone back to India many times with the only intention of visiting my family and have returned without exploring the places. I sense myself growing as a human being. 

Just like my houseplants or the outdoor gardens go through seasons and do well if the conditions are just right, I feel that time for me is now. A seed has germinated, roots are growing deeper as they are nurtured by my family and there is nothing remaining but to grow upward and outward as the conditions of life allows. 

In the last few months, I have had my friend Stacey Sharman help me with the new website, Sujata Shah Design. I have also hired Stacey to assist me with the tours. You can visit my website and sign up to be notified about future events.  

The website is still new and, in the making, but I am so proud that I have reached this point and still growing. 

If you are still reading, I thank you for the bottom of my heart. 

Sujata