My Experiments with Time

As a kid, I beamed with pride when friends who visited our home called it Little Kerala, thanks to the mango trees, coconut trees, plaintains, guava and lemon trees. Today one of the large mango trees was uprooted by the cyclone in Chennai, and its twin had to be cut as a precautionary measure. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the picture of the enormous fallen tree that once stood as tall as a two-storey building. This tree and her twin, a few years younger than myself, have been a major part of our growing years (my sister's and mine), and that of our next generation too. During the hot dry summer days and power cuts, we sought solace under them. We had our first swing tied onto her branches. She has witnessed our group studies, gossips,laughters and bitter fights. My little daughter and her cousins would spend hours watching the cat family play around the twin mango trees. We will miss the harvest, and the aroma of the mangoes, both ripe and sour. The harvesting