Learning beyond classroom - my childhood learning by observing the growth cycle of Jamun (Java plums / Indian Blackberry)

 

For the young students of the #universe, my message as a guru is that real learning always happens beyond the classroom. I will narrate my childhood lesson today that I have learned pretty early in life by just spending time on a Jamun tree in the backyard of our ancestral home at #purulia, plucking Jamun (Java Plums or Indian blackberry)  from the tree and directly putting them inside the mouth.

In the early days of its growth cycle, usually, a Jamun is reddish in color. It looks beautiful from the outside, but the taste is very bitter - not suitable for calm and cool people who like only goody, sweet Jamun. It’s like powerful Vodka - although the ordinary potatoes are transformed into Vodka - then it's not for everyone - once it's transformed into Vodka, very few people can handle it - even in its diluted form - mixed with water.

But that’s natural. The size of the Jamun will be small, the color will be reddish and its taste will be a bit bitter - just suitable for the powerful people, young in heart, young in mind, and a little bit maverick kind of fellows.

However, only a nutritionist can say to you how healthy it might be, but remember, a powerful person actually depends upon his internal power to remain healthy, and naturally he does not have to care about the external health food for his own body and soul.

Then with the advent of the rainy season, with a few showers, on the Jamun tree, the small-sized, reddish Jamun grows in size and becomes a bit blackish. How black - maybe it is dependent upon the genes and all such internal structures - which is beyond my limited knowledge. But then, it becomes sweet in taste - suitable for most people - maverick or cool-headed or geek and all other kinds of people.

With age, the outer look of the Jamun becomes a bit ugly, But then if someone really has to do a value proposition considering the pros and cons by comparing the young small-sized reddish bitter Jamun to a big-sized blackish sweet Jamun - maybe it may present a different point of view towards nature and natural growth.

Now, this is the beauty of nature - the laws meticulously created by none other than #lordshiva - the ultimate creator.

The problem arises when, a few people, with their limited knowledge and huge money power, try to play around with this basic principle of nature and artificially try to create a large-sized Jamun at its early growth cycle by means of external force - may not be for the benefit of human society, but for the benefit of his swollen ego.

As I am from a very backward place of #bharat, this was my childhood experience which I got and nurtured well throughout my life. and please remember, most of my life skills were developed by staying in the lap of nature and not by reading books as such.

As I have no idea about grapevines, maybe someone from a cold place on this planet can write his experience of roaming inside grapevines and what that taught him.