All About Capt Suresh Sharma

Cactus – a thorny beauty !

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

cactus-flower-after-rainimg_8400.jpg This section Cactus, here on my website,  is a tribute to Dr JS Sarkaria, the founder of the Cactus Garden, who worked with extraordinary diligence and with exceptional love for these much despised plants (I think, only by we Indians do not like cactus, no offence, please). Whenever, I visit the garden, I do think of Dr Sarkaria, I wish I had met him when he was around. He left for heavenly abode a couple of years ago. He deserves a great place in the history books of the region, as he has given a unique landmark to our city and country. I am told that this garden is special for India, as it is considered to be the best cactus garden in Asia.

I live at Panchkula (Haryana, India) and consider myself very lucky to be living near its famous Cactus Garden, sadly not very well known amongst the denizens of even this modern city, as it should have been. Thanks to all the moronic superstitions, which had some reason to come into practice, people do NOT grow any kind of cactus or succulent at home. Most Indians believe that its not a good omen to grow cactus at home. I may agree with a logic for not growing cactus at home, where there is small space and kids are around, cactus thorns being a safety concern. Lest they get hurt by the steely strong thorns of cactus. But some obtusely brains have created a superstition -`since cactus grows in desert and arid place, it brings unhappiness like desert in the house and the family’. How silly ! On the contrary, cactus gives me immense inspiration – it grows in harshest conditions, needs no extra care, still smiles with flowers, fights hard life all alone (sort of alone, otherwise ecosystem does support them to live). In fact, cacti and succulents are great plants to grow for decoration, need far lesser space (not much of spread slow growth) and abysmally scanty water supply. If you are away for a holiday, most of the cactus varieties can survive for a month without water.

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