Turning point article the wandering of a Botanist

Abstract

My earliest memories are of growing up in a rural area in the northcentral part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in British India. All around us were dense woods, and fields of wheat, rice, and sugarcane, interspersed with scores of mango groves. On clear days, we could see snow-capped Himalayan peaks in the distance. We had a large and comfortable house, but no running water, electricity, and certainly no television, telephone or, radio. There were no paved roads, restaurants, or movie houses. It was largely a poor and underdeveloped area, close to the places where Lord Buddha was born and attained Nirvana. Much natural beauty surrounded us, but there was also plenty of poverty, misery, and sickness. Malaria and typhoid were rampant, and there were frequent epidemics of cholera and bubonic plague. We were a small but close-knit and loving family – my parents, my older brother and me. I fondly remember a happy and carefree childhood. Apart from school, my pastime was playing with friends, and daily long walks in the surrounding woods and along a nearby river. After sundown, before and after dinner, my father would tell us stories from the great Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, and tales of ancient Hindu kings and warriors. He talked with great passion and hope about the ongoing non-violent struggle for independence from Britain led by Mahatma Gandhi and his followers. Some of these accounts would last for months. They were far more interesting and informative than the history we were taught at school, which was based largely on the rather biased British version of Indian history. We looked forward to the story time each evening. My father was a successful businessman. Owing to family circumstances, he did not have the opportunity for much formal education. Yet, he had great love and appreciation for education. He was an avid reader and was exceptionally good with numbers (arithmetic). He had a large personal collection of books representing the best of Hindi literature, and many volumes on Indra K. Vasil. Born August 31, 1932, in India.