Despite living in a co-operative society, Malabika Das has managed to carve out space in the common area to pursue her passion. From flowers like Aparajita, fruits like Papayas and vegetables like Sojne, she grows them all. Beyond watering and providing nutrients, Malabika believes plants thrive with personal care so she speaks to them throughout the day and wishes them good night every evening. To her, the greens are no less than her children.

My father was a talented gardener, and I learnt a lot from him growing up, but that’s about as far as my interest in plants went. I got married and moved to Salt Lake in 2001, but it wasn’t until the lockdown that I started gardening. Since puja flowers weren’t available in the market to offer the gods, I thought of planting a Hibiscus.

Soon the pots multiplied and the entire driveway and part of the backyard are now lined with pots.

I’m particularly fond of leafy varieties that have unique textures and shapes. My favourite is the Zz plant, whose leaves change colour from light green to a deeper shade during their life cycle. There are also Erica Palms, Spider Plant, Portulaca and a White Potato plant, that produces both white flowers and vegetables. Vegetables, however, are yet to appear in this pot.

Among flowers are Jhumkalata, Orchids, Bleeding Heart, First Love and Adeniums with rare colours like white and deep red.

Hibiscus, the plant I started my collection with, is ironically, the plant I find the most challenging to grow. The indigenous varieties are hardy, but the yellow Bangalore variety or pink and cream Pune varieties are delicate. They struggle to survive heavy rains and are prone to insects.

But I’ve convinced a nursery in EE Block to house my Gerberas temporarily in extreme heat and rain conditions as I’m unable to do so without a shed in our complex.

I’m always on the lookout for new plants. Even on vacations, my family laughs at me for carrying a knife in my bag — not for self-defence but — to take cuttings of pretty plants! Of course, not all of them survive in our conditions. But some, like the Ghonta Jaba that I got from Darjeeling, have flourished.

I’m greatly inspired by a neighbour, Amal Kumar Das, who lives above me in our building. He grows tall tree saplings in the backyard not for himself, but to plant throughout the township. He helps and encourages me and has also painted a rock to depict Lord Jagannath and placed it among our common greenery. We believe that the Lord is watching over our plants.