As we travelled to Kuwait as a newlywed, where my husband was to take up a job opportunity in Kuwait Oil Company, one of reputed oil companies of the world, little did I know that Kuwait would become my home for the next 15 years. A place where both my kids were born, a place where I made my small little world, a place I miss whenever I go for vacation. I belong to Assam, a northeastern state of India, which is so rich in flora and fauna, and world famous for its one horn rhino, the mighty Brahmaputra and its tea and silk. I was raised as one with nature as my mother is very fond of gardening. She would ensure that one sabzi every day was made entirely of produce grown in our garden. My mother would grow varieties of fruits or vegetables and even now with age, she has not stopped doing it. I grew up helping mom in her gardening activities. I was married to a family that has plants all around the house and my mother-in-law is an ardent plant lover like me and grows different types of vegetables.

I never thought that I would be able to grow any vegetable here in Kuwait. I imagined it to be a dry land full of desert areas but my perspective changed immediately as I was surprisingly happy to see lot of greenery as I drove from the airport to our apartment. New place, new people, new neighbors -so many apprehensions. Infact the entire building was occupied by people working in KOC. All were new to Kuwait and we had lot of official work to complete. We used to go out together, do the work together. I started making friends and even today after 15 years, though we had shifted to different apartments we are in touch and we can blindly trust and depend on each other. Though I had made friends for life, I was terribly missing my gardening. I was not sure of its success but decided to give it a try. I did not want to buy any seed from nursery but used seeds from fruits and vegetables that we eat at home. I first started with chilly and capsicum. When I was successful in growing them, the desire to try some other vegetable grew. Each time I successfully grew one plant, it motivated me to experiment more.

Slowly every year, I added more vegetables to my list. Today I am blessed and happy to have potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum, chilly, broccolis, cauliflowers, corns, peas, radish, turnips, beetroots, zucchini, coriander, mint, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, eggplants ,carrots , spring onions, onions, garlic, ginger, beans , mustard, sweet potato, microgreens, avocados, sorghum in my garden.

The vegetables and fruits peel from my kitchen daily goes directly to my garden. I do not use any fertilizer from the market. The joy of picking something and eating it right away without worrying about insecticides or preservative sprays is unbelievable. A big part of organic gardening is using compost, and making your own homemade compost is the best thing to do. Nothing gives you more pleasure then seeing the kitchen scraps turn into beautiful dark fertilizer, which keeps plants happy all season long. The result is amazing. Gardening is a gratifying experience and people are sure to get hooked by it. All they need is to give it a try and I am sure after that they will become extremely passionate about gardening. Patience and dedication is an integral part to have a beautiful bountiful garden.

Today I live in Kuwait, growing my own garden, living a safe carefree comfortable life. For me, its sheer joy to care for the plants and watch it grow. The happiness you feel when you see a plant sprouting can never be put into words. My kids actively take part in my gardening activities and its sheer pleasure to see their happiness when they pluck a ripe tomato or dug out potatoes. It is very important to teach our kids how food is produce so that they understand the love, labour behind it and never waste them. Though far away from my motherland, I am able to do it in Kuwait, what more could I ask for. Kuwait is a home in the true sense.