Ashutosh Anurag has many hobbies. Cycling, cooking, painting…but before you assume he neglects his office, let it be clarified that he wins corporate awards too! One of his foremost hobbies, however, is gardening. A habit he has developed from his childhood in Bhagalpur, Bihar, it has stuck to him through ups and downs. His plants adorn not just his balconies but every corner of his house — including kitchen and bathroom!
I had 150 indoor plants thriving at my previous address in Shukhobrishti complex. But then the pandemic struck. Last April my sister’s family in Allahabad succumbed to a terrible bout of Covid and I went over to help them out. Before going, I gave away most of my plants as there would be no one to care for them.
But when I returned after four months, I was astonished to find the few plants that I had retained — such as Money Plants and a Snake Plant — still standing! I nourished them back to health and now, from that very Snake Plant I’ve created 10 more. Once I restarted my collection, my friends showered me with plants. I was moving to a new apartment and searched hard for one with two balconies to accommodate as many as I would like.
Now I have Bougainvillaea, Rangoon Creeper, Aparjita, Aglaonema and monsoon specials like Rain Lily and Rajnigandha that are in bloom now.
There is no room in my house without plants. The bedroom has air purifiers like Wandering Jew and Syngonium, the kitchen garden has Curry Leaves, that I add to poha and Mint that I use to brew Lemon Mint Honey Tea before going cycling.... Even the bathroom has such cute plants that visitors joke they can spend hours inside watching them.
I love painting and paint bottles, turn them into planters and gift people. I must have gifted 50-60 of them so far.
My mother has come to stay with me for a while now and she is impressed with my collection. She loves watering and caring for these plants too, more so as the potted plants on our terrace back home in Bhagalpur are tough to care for. You see, they are always under the attack of langurs!