We cut a stem of a creeper, and planted it outside our Studio. We wished, it will forgive us for the cruelly, separating it from the mother-plant and will accept us and the new home.
We over-indulged in the care, not knowing how to behave with the newly planted creeper. The creeper was more rational.
It bore the pain of the injury and the separation from the mother-plant, silently. Even though sometimes our ignorant over-indulgence and curiosity brought discomfort to the creeper during the period of its healing, it began to believe in our desire and need for it. At this point of time the creeper might have resolved to sprout again for our sake.
Everyday, in the morning, when the winter Sun is small, red and distant, we would care the stem and watch it for any sign of sprouting. Some days, the stem looked dead and dark—some days, pale and lethargic—and some days, healthy and alert. The day would pass, reflecting the health of the stem in our thoughts, in our work and in our relationship with others, with this planet and beyond.
Watching the stem and caring became a habit. One morning, in the center of the aura created by the winter Sun, a small delicate leaf, fresh light green on one side and fur white on the other, stood alert emerging from the stem. We know, this act of creation happens, millions of time, everyday, on our planet, unnoticed. For us it was a miracle, we were wishing and waiting for and we beheld it for many moments, in ecstasy. For us it was a gift of life from the stem. For us it was a revival of our spirits, restorer of our energy and survival of our faith in life with concern on this planet.
A pretentious big bird with a plume hanging at the back of his head, descended on the railing near the creeper. He stretched himself and his neck in an arrogant self-assurance, as if to tell the creeper about his manipulative ability to decide—'who lives and who dies'. Becoming aware of us along with the creeper, the gesture of aggression melted into a pose of innocence. In a nervous hurry he flew to a group of other birds sitting on a nearby tree and pronounced that a creeper has taken birth on this planet and if allowed to grow, will endanger the bird community. Most of the birds believed him and nobody checked about the innocence of the creeper. We became scared and protective for the small delicate leaf. We created a protective fence to keep away the birds. The creeper consented for the protective fence and started growing.
The delicate leaf grew in size, a new stem sprouted and new leaves appeared. Every morning we confronted a new appearance of the creeper, more alive, more confident and sometimes responding and sometimes defiant. The branches began to spread to the need of the personality of the creeper. The protective fence was no more required. The creeper grew in stature to provide shade. Now the birds came for rest and for a chat amongst them, sitting in the creeper. The big bully bird's backbiting is now getting exposed. We worked in our studio and felt the creeper's reassuring presence along with us.
The tragedy occurred on a hot summer night. Howling dusty winds started. The creeper was new to this aggression and became scared. It struggled and resisted the winds. The winds became furious and sent a whirlwind. It tore off the creeper from the studio wall. We felt guilty. We should have prepared the creeper for this world— we should have provided more supports for the creeper to hold on. The creeper fell on the floor, badly injured and helpless. When the winds passed away, we provided additional supports and the creeper was carefully attached to these supports. Then the rains came—the creeper healed and forgot the hurt. We are now more watchful. The creeper has engulfed the total wall of the studio. Sometimes the creeper covers our view of the world through the windows of our studio. We trim the creeper to save this view. The creeper has flowered and shed seeds on earth to take roots.
The Indian and world existence has symbolic similarities with the creeper's biography.