Free from School | Page 9

the official made his speech which was followed by
a funny speech made by Alexyz.
The Green Heritage programme had several aspects: (i) the exhibition,
(ii) lectures and talks on different subjects and (iii) competitions of
different kinds-all related to the green world.
The main exhibition hall was very big and it was filled with all kinds of
plants, arranged in such a manner that people could move around easily
and view the plants without too much difficulty. Altogether there must
have been about two hundred pots. There were vegetable plants such as
chillies and brinjals. There were flowering plants, cacti, creepers, ferns,

bonsai of Banyan trees, peepal trees, etc. There were also lime trees,
orange trees and chickoo trees all growing in pots.
On the stage in the hall, competition exhibits-vegetable-carving crafts
and flower-making crafts of students from different schools-were kept.
Outside the hall there were two corridors. In one corridor the
government nursery was stationed, where neem, mango, coconut,
chickoo, tamarind, cashew and some other kinds of trees were being
sold. Along the other corridor a variety of other items were kept on sale:
a small table held copies of the book, Total Gardening as well as the
previous two volumes released at the earlier exhibitions by the Green
Heritage; another table held beautiful coconut handicrafts for sale.
There was an elephant head, a table lamp, a skull, all made out of
different parts of a coconut. Next to this, The Other India Bookstore
had set up a stall with a large variety of environment titles. Further
down was the Garden Glory stall selling various types of garden
implements such as lawn movers, cutters, sprayers and other
accessories. Apurbhai had a variety of organic manures like leaf mould,
Karanji and bone meal besides ornamental plants, palms and creepers.
There were pickles, squashes and medicine for papaya plants also on
sale.
At the far end of the corridor was the canteen. Here, whenever we were
thirsty or hungry, we went and had a cold drink or some snacks. I didn't
have to worry about my bill, because it was taken care of by the Green
Heritage group.
Next to the canteen, there was a small table, a blackboard, some chalk
and some benches. This was where the programme of lectures and talks
was held. Altogether there were four talks given during the Green
Heritage Programme: on vegetable carving, jams and squashes,
wine-making, and cacti.
I decided to attend the talk given on cacti by a person who grew cacti in
his flat. His talk was extremely interesting and full of practical
information and handy hints on how to grow cacti. Although I have not
tried my hand at growing cacti, yet I took down detailed notes which I
shared with my mother, who as I correctly thought was very happy to
get the information as it helped her in her little cacti rock garden. And
it certainly was a very educative talk for me.
All through the three days I was assigned simple jobs like watching

over the plants in the main hall, watering the plants, carrying pots and
furniture around, handling the sales of the Green Heritage booklets, and
so on. And with Alexyz around each task was great fun.
On the last day, there was the prize distribution ceremony. I was proud
and happy to receive a special certificate for having assisted in the
Green Heritage Festival. As the fair came to an end the organisers all
felt that it was yet another successful event. I was happy to have been a
part of it. But the fun was not yet over for we all had a barbecue dinner
that evening that lasted well into the early hours of the morning. We
slept only briefly for there remained the final task of returning the pot
exhibits to their respective owners. This we commenced early next
morning.
I had enjoyed my work at the Green Heritage and my stay at Alexyz's
house. I was indeed sad when it all ended. I rested the next day at
Alexyz's house and on the 18th morning, left for home.
Field Work Notes: Growing Cacti At Home
Cacti are plants suited to the desert and we must keep this factor in
mind always when growing ornamental cacti in our gardens, for it helps
in the survival of the plant. For example, a cactus should never be
watered over its body as it will start to rot. This is because it is covered
with a waxy coating which prevents water loss through evaporation.
When one waters the cactus over its body, the waxy coating is washed
away and the plant begins to rot. The amount of water that you must
supply to the cactus is very much dependent upon the season and upon
the climate