Tivim man grows plants on his terrace

By John Aguiar

  Crops and plants are usually grown on the ground. But thedays have gone and most of the people are now opting for growing plants at home. Today the people are satisfied with the plants and vegetables that are yielded fom terrace gardens or roof tops, which helps them tostay healthy.

Goa has been known for its  greenery, but today, the scenery has been replaced by a concrete jungle. Due to growing urbanization and climate change have all resulted in rising temperatures, Shri   Hanuman Mahale tells John Aguiar in a conversation.

Shri Mahale a teacher by profession (now retired) has created a thriving garden on his terrace with many varieties of plants including flowering. He has stood as inspiration for many. He devevoped.l a sudden interest in starting a open terrace garden to keep himself occupied during his spare time. He started planting trees on his terrace from 1 June 2002.

Shri Mahale who has a farming background and love for planting trees since childhood says he is doing is part for the environment and planting and taking care of trees as to repay for what the environment is giving us. He had to shift from his ancestral Pernem to Tivim due to his job. When he bought the flat he insisted that the adjoining open terrace be allotted to him. Apart from fruit bearing trees he started rowinh the hebs and medicinal plants at his home premises in in open terrace garden since then.

Planting trees has been his hobby for a very long time. Since he did not have a land to plant trees, he fulfilled the hobby by planting small trees in pots. His love for gardening prompted him to begin gardening on the terrace as well, to have a relatively cool place around. I had spent years of my childhood growing plant he recalls.

 Trees are known to give out oxygen hence the need for planting more trees. During summers they tend to make the surroundings cool, he says.

 From pineapple, banana, coconut, sugarcane and many other medicinal herbs and flowering plants such as shoe flower, brahmakamal, 10 different types of Jaswanti and others, Mr Mahale’s terrace flourishes with greenery, birds, butterflies. The temperature that keeps the entire house cool. Not only the terrace garden but he proudly displays his balcony garden as well, where all sorts of plants have been planted in pots. This place has further become a safest place for birds. The Red whisked bulbuls love to make their nest in this  garden. 

For his daily pooja, Mahale and hi family gets all the flowers from his terrace garden.  

Mr Mahale's  wife Kanti and his two sons Anup and Saish help him in his work.

Mr Mahale is constructing a new house in his property at Nanora and shall soon be shifting to the new place. Here there will be ample space for him and surrounding to create a  jungle around his house.  

 Gardening is easy, does not consume much time or require hard work. People are often discouraged by space crunch says Mahale. Inspired by him, his relatives have also started gardening in spaces that are available.