My uncle came from Assam last November n brought some plant from his garden. One of them is a blub which will grow in rainy season… Hopefully they’ll survive the summer of Delhi. I’ll do my best … but the sad part is that all the plants i brought from Kolkata n Assam last January ___ died

I’m extremely lazy …. n gardening isn’t for the lazy one - this time i have to keep them alive n healthy …. i just have to - no other way around !!

So i have decide to gather information on how to take care for these plants :

BEGONIA ….

They are of 3 types : Tuberous , Semperflorens (most common), Perennials (uncommon) …. mine is Begonia “Richmondensis” (i guess they’re perennial types).

They like rich fertile soil but loose which drains well. Water them thoroughly, but the soil must be allowed to be dry between waterings.

Different groups of Begonia have different cultural requirement but most species come from tropical regions …. they require bright shade - few will tolerate full sun.  Mine type of Begonia likes filtered sunlight but can take some sunlight in winter.

They like humidity - n doesn’t like cold weather ___ bring indoor before frost. Keep it near a sunny window for first few days….  gradually reduce the sunlight (or can keep it near the window whole winter) …. sudden temperature change cause leaves to drop. After a week or 2 Begonia will adopt the lower light n dry conditions of indoor.

In the growing season : pinching tips n pruning outer stems give bushier plant. Re-pot the plant if they appear crowded. Remove dead flowers leaves n stems … trim off long stems help retain its compact shape….

At my uncle’s place (Karimganj - Assam) the plants are very fresh n healthy …. i guess it’s because the weather is moderate n moist throughout the year ____  whereas in Delhi it’s extremely cold in winter n extremely hot in summer…. n off course i’m lazy too.

Let’s just hope for the Best !!!

Some days ago  i saw this advertisment of  Aircel  - about creating awarness of  the number  of tiger left in India.

“A little cub waiting for his mother … hungry …  frightened …  alone ..  a gun shot … n this mother maybe not coming back  “  … It’s sad - very sad

Only 1411 tigers are left … it’s our national animal. What r we doing. There has to be an explanation about the devastating drop in their number and that too so fast !!

Once i was watching on Discovery Channel - that some guys (who are i guess expert n love these beautiful creatures)  were helping the reserviour (one of them was Ranthombore in Madhaya Pardes ) and the numbers were increasing too … after sometime the man (who was helping them for the welfare of the tigers ) return to the reserviour n saw there was a sudden decrease in the number of the tigers … and the reserviour people - i guess that means the forest department - didn’t want him to work with them anymore !!!

There is a direct connection between the handling of the reserviour and the decreasing numbers of tigers … i guess everyone can figure this out…. but why isn’t the forest deparment doing anything … or if it is — then can’t they see it isn’t effective !!

I know there r many other problems India is facing right now …. one should understand that this is a very serious issues and something should be done …. and that too immediately!

Tiger are dying because of poaching - loss of forest - n man-tiger conflict…. one can’t do anything on higher level but bit by bit we can create a huge awarness …. a huge difference

We can as individual spread the message that nothing should be bought which is related to tigers ( like the claws - the skin - bone - teeth and so on …) one might think …. that by providing these more people (poachers) with employment might help …. but money is such a thing that it’s not enough … the more u have the more u want - these people (poachers) ….  so providing with employment is not enough … they have to be educated as well that if there is not tiger - human being won’t survive.

Another problem is man-tiger conflict …. Man-eater tigers should be tackled by authorised people - who can catch them not killed them. In Sundar Ban area many people get killed or their cattles fell prey to these tigers every year …. but still they worship these beast n pray for their welfare … ironic isn’t it …. we urban people using or destroying their living area - the tigers have no choice than to come to “our” so called area ….. n those rural people living on the edge of jungle …. pray to them _ so it’s better to keep in mind before you decide to build ur house near the jungle or on it’s surrounding area !!!

Same with deforestation … when we cut forest (for any means) we are actually destorying their home … their shelters … so it’s equally important to plant trees and protect their area.

They are vulnerable n beautiful creatures n may extinct if something isn’t done immediately …. i can just write - a bit of what i can do ….. God! save the Indian Tigers