A mantle of responsibility- Touch-me-not(Mimosa pudica)

One day our grandfather brought a ‘Touch me not’ (Lajvanti) from the Gurukul Kangdi Ayurvedic nursery in Haridwar. Then, he gently kept away our inquisitive fingers from disturbing the delicate green filigree, as they furled into closed fans, folding up in meditative prayers. “You don’t disturb anybody in meditation. Breathe in the magic of plants through eyes, nose, heart and soul. But touch may bruise. Fingers are for tending the soil and watering. See, now it has fanned out again to the light and air. Be with its joy of just Being.

This humble plant gives us the gift of sensitivity and responsibility towards nature. And a natural empathy with plants and living animals.