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As a child, I was responsible for the meagre vegetable garden at home. After marriage, when we shifted to another city and started living in an apartment- I started planting in little pots. My love for plants had to be paused for years because of the neighbors complaining the dribble of water falling on their windows or balcony. I was told to move to a bungalow to fulfill my love for plants and garden. Though saddened, I adjusted to the apartment life. With the last transfer, I had the opportunity and space to cultivate a green space on the terrace. Also, I then started my association with Nagpur Garden Club and learnt a lot on gardening, maintaining different varieties of plants and making compost.

When my granddaughter was born 3 years ago, I gifted 101 fruit bearing plants to my family, friends and acquaintances having space and interest in their lives for these plants.

It gives me immense happiness knowing that the fruit saplings are growing and bearing fruits.

NAGPUR GARDEN CLUB FROM MY PEN

Dr. V. M. Govardhan
1980-1983

The club started with humble beginning. About 45 years back, late Adv. K. K. Thakur & late C. P. Sen, late S. R. Sarwate started growing roses. There were very few gardens then and generally it was accepted that the climate of Nagpur did not suit roses and flowers. As they surmounted many difficulties, they started the Nagpur Rose Club. The flowers shows later were held in the Maharaj Bagh in conjunction with Nagpur Vegetable show. The open atmosphere was not suitable for the flowers. However, then shows were held.

Interest waned and the again about 28 years ago, interest revived with Shri. Nizamuddin Ahmed, Commissioner, Nagpur Division, taking an active interest. The flower show was held in Maharaj Bagh under his Chairmanship. The club was known as the Nagpur Garden club. Mr. K. Cassed was the first president with Shri. C. P. Sen as secretary and Shri. K. K. Mankeshwar as the Treasurer and an Executive Body. There after the shows were held in the Sir Manakhji Dadabhoy hall of N. E. L. P. Company.

Later on late K. K. Thakur was the President and Dr. V. M. Goverdhan , Secretary under his President-ship, the club made good progress, Rules and Regulation and also a constitution was framed, Membership increased. The Nagpur Garden Club Annual show was started at this time, devoted to gardening activities. It was the inspiration of late Adv. K. K. Thakur, which made Shri Brahmadutt to grow and hybridize roses. Today, he is a well-known hybridizer of roses.

Under the president-ship of Shri. T. R. Subhedar, and Dr. B. G. Kane as secretary and Shri. S. P. Hasabnis as Treasurer, the Club started in 1970 , the Monsoon Flower show.

The dynamic President-ship and untiring efforts of late Smt. Leelatai Subhdar saw the club realize its dream of acquiring land for a club Nursery and library-cum-office buildings. The project was completed in 1973.

Since then, the club under new Executive Bodies has been having classes in different topics of gardening and the sale of nursery plants. A new show was started to commensurate Chacha Nehru’s Birthday. Later on Indoor plant section has been added and a new chrysanthemum show started some five years back. A vegetable section has been added to the shows. This has been possible due to the active interest taken by the different Executive bodies, The Club has a well-stocked library.

Mention must be made of late V. P. Naik, Chief Minister and late Barrister S. K. Wankhede, who have helped in acquiring the land. Other who have contributed have been Shri. Pramod Kholkute, Shri. Atul Mendhekar, Shri. Chandrakant Savdekar, Shri. Jayant Apte, Shri. Mainde, Dr. N. V. Shastri, present president of the Club, Shri. S. S. Vaidya, Shri P. N. Pendharkar, Secretary, Shri. Mahesh Singh, Shri. P. Dehadrai, Smt. S. Rao, Miss Pinky Kalsi. Smt. Kale and many others who are working hard for the success of the 50th Golden Jubilee show.

Special mention must be made of Shri. Shailendra Sahu for the rare indoor plants Shri. Ashok Agrawal and Dr. Kathikar for the Bonsai Plants, Smt. Lata Vyawahare for the dry arrangements, Smt. M. Ananthanarayan, a Ikebana expert, who is coming all the way from Hyderabad for the Ikebana Flower arrangements. Again mention must be made of Smt. Kunda Vijaykar and Shri Atal bahadur Singh for their personal involvement and help the Club for this show.

Lastly, but not the least, the Club is grateful to the people of Nagpur, who have always responded splendidly on all occasions and but for them, this would not have been possible. Thus, the Nagpur Garden Club has contributed for making Nagpur as third green city in India

“Flowers are the poetry of earth,
As stars are the poetry of Heaven.”

“To cultivate a Garden is to walk with God.”