A Slice of Serendipity

There’s a certain way I move through the world. Careful, observant, quietly alert, the kind of person who plans ahead and finds comfort in routines, lists, and timelines. I tend to notice what could go wrong before it does, to keep things in order, to stay prepared. If you were to travel with me, you’d probably see someone with a pen and paper always close by, trying not to miss anything, trying to take it all in. But when I look back now, very little lives in my notes.      
       
What stayed were moments.

In Bhoomi Eco Village, Gumlapuram, we had the privilege of harvesting lady’s finger and radish one morning and eating them for lunch, hot, fresh, and deeply satisfying. What a joy it is to grow your own food. Out in the field, among the lady’s finger plants, the sprinklers came on, drenching us unexpectedly. And I stayed. Cap on my head, phone in my pocket, spectacles still on. Usually, I would have overthought it, worried about spare clothes, my phone getting wet, the inconvenience. But in that moment, none of it mattered. I was fully there, with water sprinkling on me, with the texture of soil on my skin. For someone who always has everything planned, this was my moment of flow, living in the present. Sitting in that furrow, with my shoulders dropping and my forehead softening, I found a quiet kind of peace.

And in that stillness, colours began to stand out in ways they never had before. From the earthy soil to the leafy green, colours were everywhere. My classroom notes were always filled with crayons and colour pencils. I love colours. In Gumlapuram, I fell in love with natural pigments. My friend and co-fellow Ambika and I experimented with different pigments across the farm. It’s something everyone should try at least once. It’s so much fun to see how nature holds such rich colours. And not just on paper, we wore them too. As someone who usually prefers a ‘no-makeup look’, I adorned myself with the prickly pear’s pink pigment, expressing myself boldly. Comfortable in my skin and excited by these colours, this became my moment of self-expression. It felt freeing.

Nature seems to gently open up parts of me that don’t always find space in everyday life. In these moments, I feel more like myself. They remind me of a way of being that is lighter, freer, and deeply alive.

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Shared by Chandana S, Teach for Nature Fellow, Chennai, Tamil Nadu