VIRGINIA WATERS & OLD FOGEYS

I had not heard of Virginia Waters of London, so when Chaitali suggested that we go there for a day, we were excited as, it was unknown and unexplored territory for us. The day began with preparing an enormous picnic. Putting things together, badminton rackets, balls and durries, and what have you!! The kids were full of excitement and were getting their PSP and Legostar II ready for the drive.Virginia waters is located somewhere between Windsor Castle and Ascot-the famous and fashionable Race Course. The Great Park is recorded in Saxon documents as a hunting forest used by monarchs and nobles. As it is adjoining the royal residence of Windsor, it has evolved over the centuries, under the patronage of Kings and Queens.

The Royal Landscape has been developed as an area of recreation over several centuries. The most active period of landscaping took place in the 18th Century, under William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. He created Virginia Water, and also introduced the new fashion for garden design, with a more natural, picturesque landscape adorned with follies. The Royal Landscape is a thousand acres of landscaped gardens, lakes and woodland, incorporating The Savill Garden, The Valley Gardens and Virginia Water lake. Thomas Sandby, the renowned topographical draughtsman, worked under George III designing the landscape. The farms and forests were expanded by Prince Albert, and much of the tree planting is a legacy of the Victorian era. In the 1930s and 1940 The Savill Garden and Valley Gardens were established.

In 1753, Virginia Water was, the largest man-made body of water in the British Isles
The woodlands surrounding the lake have been continuously planted since the middle of the eighteenth century. As it was close to the royal castle of Windsor and Ascot, the lake was once a place of pageantry and spectacle. The reason was that the Royals would go to Ascot through these gardens. Ascot, as everyone knows has a lot to do with style and fashion and "being seen"!!Ascot incidentally was founded in 1711 and is the world’s most famous racecourse.

We reached and started walking around the lake, which is huge. There was a board for a cascade -which was one-just in name. There was hardly a cascade. The walk was beautiful as it was through the woods. All around there were huge trees and a lot of greenery. The ducks and swans in the lake and the dense forest around us made the walk very pleasant. There were a lot of walkers and we came across a group of people who had two large white birds perched on their shoulders. They were beautiful birds, and suddenly one of them looked at us and said, "Hello". They turned out to be Sulphur crested cockatoo. Those birds talked and also displayed their lovely crests. They went on non stop and kept on repeating words said by us.

As we moved on, we were suddenly surprised to find some ruins right in front of us. It looked like some temple - not a church nor a cathedral, nor any structure of the western world. It was oriental. As we went ahead we could decipher a broken statue , which looked like a statue of the Buddha, with the head damaged. It was an amazing view. There was no plaque or board explaining what exactly it was. Later on I learnt that it was a ‘Roman temple’ built from columns and lintels brought from the ancient city of Leptis Magna in the early 19th century and installed by George IV in 1818. Leptis Magna was also called Neapolis, and was a prominent city of the Roman empire. The original ruins are located in Libya 130 km east of Tripoli, on the coast.

The children were soon tired as the walk was very long and one could not see the end. Kunaal was wanting to climb a tree and we were all trying to locate a tree which he could climb. Soon we came to a grove of trees in an alcove. The trees were tall, but they branched out from a low level. The trees were sort of interlinked and seemed to be the perfect place for Robin hood to hold his meetings and remain hidden from the outside world. Of course, Robin hood never came to Virginia waters. Yet the thought crossed my mind as we had just returned from Nottingham and Sherwood forest, where Robin hood lived and he was fresh in my mind. The trees tempted all of us, and soon enough TNN, Raj, Chaitali, Kunaal, Aaliya and I were all perched up on the trees at different levels. It was funnnn.....

As we neared the end of our walk of about 4.5 miles, we saw a huge totem pole in front of us. It was a towering 100-foot high Totem Pole, which is a gift from the government of British Columbia. This pole was carved from a single log of Wester Red Cedar, from a 600 year old tree from British Columbia. It was presented in 1958 to mark the centenary of British Columbia establishment as a Crown Colony.

Our walk was over and we found place to sit, eat and enjoy. It was a lovely day and some people, of the same ethnicity as us, sitting close to us were trying to fly kites. There were 3 kites and it was interesting to watch, as no one seemed to have the faintest idea of how to fly a kite. There were children running helter skelter, with the big brother shouting at the younger sister, and so on and so forth. Not a single kite flew properly, and when they did, all of them went and got entangled in the branches of one single tree. Soon different tactics were tried to bring the kites down. The boy went on throwing tennis balls at the kite, shouting all the time,"I have got it, I am managing", of course, he was nowhere near it. The father caught the attention of another walker, who gave wise counsel and got so involved in extracting the kite, that I perched myself on a tree trunk and kept watching the "Mission Rescue Kite." After half an hour of trying, the tree was named the "Graveyard of Kites" and then we were all free to return.

Virginia Waters-gave us an exciting, adventurous green and fresh day out in the wilderness, right near the famous City of London. How interesting, picturesque and animated can a place be made, by developing a vast land of woods, water and freedom to breathe fresh air amidst like minded people who love to walk and go out, without great expectations. It made all of us excited enough to monkey around and climb trees, an act which one had not indulged in after leaving the age of the "Twenties."Grand children are a boon, who can make monkeys out of respectable old fogeys.!!

EVERYDAY LESSON

Words of wisdom are afloat all around us. Each person has a favourite quote, sometimes there own, often someone else's wisdom.

If followed, they help in making life simpler. My father always said, "The family that eats together, stays together." We always followed that rule. No one had the freedom to say that they were not hungry and would eat later. The choice that was given to us was, that one could eat as much as was needed. However, food would be laid on time and all were to come and eat. It was a good system as, it was convenient for the person who had made the food, and also the person who would pick up afterwards. The servants could also finish their work at one go. There was no need for heating, reheating and waiting. He always said in a sing song way, "On the table at 8 o' clock for breakfast. On the table at 8 o' clock for dinner." People were out at lunch time in school or work or whatever, so there was no rule for lunch. The routine was such that each one of us would be home on time and eat together. It was good discussion and bonding time for the family.

Another teaching of his was that we should never tell a lie. He insisted that we should never lie even jocularly. We followed this teaching.

My mother used to tell us to chew our food properly. She as a child had been told to chew every bite at least 32 times. I know, it sounds far fetched, but think about it. If one chews so many times, the feeling of satisfaction will set in faster. One would eat less. The feeling of wanting to keep on eating would not be there. In the end, it would result in a trimmer and healthier person. We normally keep on eating without the need to eat a bit more and yet more....

TNN my husband used to tell me never to threaten the children with threats which I would not be able to carry out. Also never make promises that were not possible to fulfil. I saw a lot of wisdom in that. I followed the dictum and it has stood me in good stead.

When we got a dog, when we were trying to train him, Ujjwal my brother said to me, never beat him, only threaten him with the rolled newspaper. Because if you beat him, he will know the extent of distress it can cause, and then he will not be scared. It is only the unknown of which one can be scared of.

There is so much of wisdom and good lessons given to us in simple everyday practices. Honesty, togetherness, compassion, concern and care for each other is a virtue that can only lead to happiness and peace. Small steps taken by each family leads to improvement in the culture of the society which one inhabits.

We are so quick to be shocked by behaviour of all and sundry in society. If we try at our small unit level of home to instil proper discipline, teach respect for each other and also ensure to treat everyone equally, there would be a lot less injustice in society as a whole. Our own bias, our treatment of servants, our behaviour with people of lesser standing in society all are seen and copied by our family members. Our own behaviour and attitude has to be exemplary, only then can we point a finger at others for their shortcomings.

HUMAN BEINGS - THE CREATORS

This morning sitting at the Streatham Rookery, looking out at the vast expanse of greenery spread out in front of me, I was reflecting on the beauty of nature. Then it struck me that it wasn't nature that was beautiful. It was the way the garden, the trees, the forested areas were laid out, which made the impact of the layout, so very attractive. The view was green - a huge variety of green. The grass, the trees and hedges, and a whole vista of designed layout added to the attraction.

We take things so much for granted, that often it does not strike us that nothing is really as simple as it looks. We marvel at the beauty of nature. We are thankful for the bounty of nature. However, it is actually the work, designing, pruning, planning done by a human being which actually makes most natural objects develop into marvels, or an object of beauty and grandeur.

An uncut diamond becomes a gem and is able to shine in its total glory only after it is cut. Gold and silver have to be mined and turned into objects to shine and be useful. Marble is cut and polished and made into Taj Mahal. A forest left to grow on its own, is not as attractive as a properly laid out garden. A rose also is pruned, a lot of grafting is done to get various colours and shades of the flowers. Almost all natural flowers are developed and pruned to get the best blossoms. A variety of grass is cultivated to obtain rice-the staple diet of almost the entire population of the world. Human beings domesticate and use a number of animals for making their own lives more comfortable. The horse, cow, buffalo, bullock, dog, donkey, camel are a few animals which come to my mind readily and immediately. Human beings use various products available naturally to improve their own life and living conditions. The minerals, gases, oil, available under the surface of the earth and in the sea are extensively used as fuel. The vegetables, fruits, roots, nuts, grains available abundantly are used for food. There is more value added to all of these, with a few exceptions, which provide us with all the nutrients, and substance to enable us to live.

The importance of the human hand, the ingenuity of the human mind, is seldom given its due recognition. How often have we thanked God for all that we have received? The bounty of nature given to us by- again - God-Another man made creation!!! Has a thought been given to this?

Is it really possible for one - "something"..or "someone" to manage, plan, observe, punish and reward each and every person living on this earth? All the organisations, offices, factories, need people to work, supervisors, managers, directors, investors, share holders, controllers to actually make the organisation work, succeed and become profitable ventures. In every household there is usually one person who manages the house, makes sure that each person gets enough food to eat . That person nurtures, takes care, and makes sure that the family stays together, healthy and happy.That person usually is called "mother", and in some cases "father". In a family this management becomes possible as the number of members is small. A government also requires a system of administration to govern. How then is it possible for one omnipresent to control the lives of crores of living entities? It is not only humans whose lives are controlled - it is also all the different species of birds, bees, animals and every living thing who is supposed to be his subject. Amazing-isn't it??

We are always very ready with our gratitude. Our success is due to the grace of God. A calamity is the will of God. A person who succeeds in adverse circumstances had it in his destiny. A failure in spite of best efforts "of others" is suffering due to the effects of the sins of a past life. There is a never ending list of things which are attributable to this man made creation.

Recently I read that Rupees 23 crores were found in the house of a VHP( Vishwa Hindu Parishad) person. How does a person acquire that much of money, which he keeps in his house as bundles of notes? He belongs to a religious group, steeped in politics. They play with the sentiments of simple people. God fearing people, who do not think. People who like sheep blindly follow their leaders. It is their hard earned money, which they give to religious foundations in some guise of charity or for building temples or carrying out some religious rituals. Some people wonder at the way all this ill begotten wealth is misused. People wonder if there is no fear of God, in the minds of those who collect this money and then use it for their selfish ends? I am surprised at the questioning multitude. Is it not very obvious that these people who ask in the name of God, are actually those who know that there is no such thing as a God, who is watching and can actually punish. The only sad part is that they have no morals. They are too materialistic. They do not think about right and wrong. They are happy to be immensely practical and immoral. Stealing, misguiding and misusing ill begotten wealth from innocent people does not hurt them. Yet, most people still venerate godmen and religious leaders.

Let us sometimes stop to think of our own actions. Our thankfulness to the bounty of and grace of God. Let us ponder over the thought whether there can be a superior being who can control, direct and run the lives of each and every being on this earth. We meditate, pray, fast, follow a lot of rituals for fulfilment of certain desires. To achieve our goals, we seek the favour of the entity that we call God. Do we simply perform all this and sleep tight? No, we do not sleep and allow the God to fulfil our desire. We work hard to achieve our goal. We plan, strive, work to succeed. Then why do we not thank our own selves for our hard work? Why can we not accept that we succeeded as we worked for it. Why do we want to share that achievement with another? When we pray, are we not actually working on our innermost strength of our own self? Are we not awakening our own conscious? Our own wisdom and knowledge that we have acquired over a number of years? We awaken our own self and yet give the credit to someone else.

Shall we try to reason sometime? Try to be rational and practical. At least raise a doubt in our mind?!?!