From the legendary Thillai tree – whose extract can blind a person temporarily – to the Brahma Kamalam that blooms once in 12 years, Jaswant Singh’s 10,000 sq. ft. garden is a hidden wonderland.
In the summer of 2019, Chennai was battling a severe water crisis. Dried out taps and faucets let out a helpless whirring whenever opened. Armed with bottles, buckets and tumblers, people stood in miles-long queues for a bucket of water.
Miraculously, Jaswant Singh’s little ‘green’ home in Mogappair never faced any problem with water even during those days. The groundwater table at his house has never run dry. “In fact, we had so much excess water that we distributed it for free among our neighbours,” he shares with The Better India.
Even in 2016 when Cyclone Vardah ravaged Chennai, Jaswant Singh’s home, which has a treehouse, was spared.
Wondering what magical charm is protecting Singh’s humble home against natural mayhems? The answer is a mini forest that Singh has nurtured for the past 35 years.
This forest, which spans across 10,000 square feet, houses thousands of plants comprising 350 rare species, which Singh has painstakingly collected from all over India in over three decades.
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His love for travelling joined hands with his passion for plants. No matter whichever place he visited in India, he would end up amassing rare plant breeds native to that place. As a result, Singh’s prized collection now constitute the mystical Brahma Kamalam from the mighty Shivalik Himalayas which blooms once in 12 years as well as the rare Thillai or Blind-your-eye mangrove from Chidambaram.
“This Thillai tree is almost impossible to find these days. Only a few are still surviving discreetly at the Thillai Natarajan Temple in Chidambaram, which gets its name from the surrounding grove of Thillai trees.”
Once upon a time, leprosy patients from all corners of India used to throng the shrine. Ancient hermits prepared a medicinal concoction from Thillai extracts which, as legend has it, cured leprosy. At the same time, a single drop of the milky juice from the plant can keep a person blinded for quite a while.
With an air of excitement, Singh moves on to his next fascinating find – the Crescentia or Beggars Bowl. Singh explains, “Ancient sages used this fruit as a bowl for eating. It is deemed to have antimicrobial properties. Legend is, even if somebody serves poisoned food in these fruits, it would be rendered detoxified.”
Singh’s mini-forest in Chennai is perhaps one of the handfuls of places in Tamil Nadu where one can find the state flower Flame Lily (Gloriosa superba) in all its blazing red glory. The flower, though fatally poisonous, had traditional usage as a potent antidote for snake venom.
A series of plush sandalwood trees, both the white and red varieties, adorn a corner of Singh’s garden. The Tamil Nadu state law, which legalised sandalwood plantation by individuals at home only in 2002, now strictly prohibits the cutting of any sandalwood tree. Needless to say, Singh has little intention of ever felling his prized collection, rather he keeps on adding to the number of sandalwood plants in his garden.
A captivating aroma from a crushed leaf of Borneo Camphor wafts through the garden as Singh speaks about the plant like a pro. Camphor, now synthesised commercially, was traditionally obtained from these leaves!
At Singh’s home, there is no place for refined sugar. He sweetens his tea and favourite desserts with a few leaves of Stevia or the Meethi Tulasi (Stevia rebaudiana), which is claimed to be 250 times sweeter than regular sugar."
In the summer of 2019, Chennai was battling a severe water crisis. Dried out taps and faucets let out a helpless whirring whenever opened. Armed with bottles, buckets and tumblers, people stood in miles-long queues for a bucket of water.
Miraculously, Jaswant Singh’s little ‘green’ home in Mogappair never faced any problem with water even during those days. The groundwater table at his house has never run dry. “In fact, we had so much excess water that we distributed it for free among our neighbours,” he shares with The Better India.
Even in 2016 when Cyclone Vardah ravaged Chennai, Jaswant Singh’s home, which has a treehouse, was spared.
Wondering what magical charm is protecting Singh’s humble home against natural mayhems? The answer is a mini forest that Singh has nurtured for the past 35 years.
This forest, which spans across 10,000 square feet, houses thousands of plants comprising 350 rare species, which Singh has painstakingly collected from all over India in over three decades.
...
His love for travelling joined hands with his passion for plants. No matter whichever place he visited in India, he would end up amassing rare plant breeds native to that place. As a result, Singh’s prized collection now constitute the mystical Brahma Kamalam from the mighty Shivalik Himalayas which blooms once in 12 years as well as the rare Thillai or Blind-your-eye mangrove from Chidambaram.
“This Thillai tree is almost impossible to find these days. Only a few are still surviving discreetly at the Thillai Natarajan Temple in Chidambaram, which gets its name from the surrounding grove of Thillai trees.”
Once upon a time, leprosy patients from all corners of India used to throng the shrine. Ancient hermits prepared a medicinal concoction from Thillai extracts which, as legend has it, cured leprosy. At the same time, a single drop of the milky juice from the plant can keep a person blinded for quite a while.
With an air of excitement, Singh moves on to his next fascinating find – the Crescentia or Beggars Bowl. Singh explains, “Ancient sages used this fruit as a bowl for eating. It is deemed to have antimicrobial properties. Legend is, even if somebody serves poisoned food in these fruits, it would be rendered detoxified.”
Singh’s mini-forest in Chennai is perhaps one of the handfuls of places in Tamil Nadu where one can find the state flower Flame Lily (Gloriosa superba) in all its blazing red glory. The flower, though fatally poisonous, had traditional usage as a potent antidote for snake venom.
A series of plush sandalwood trees, both the white and red varieties, adorn a corner of Singh’s garden. The Tamil Nadu state law, which legalised sandalwood plantation by individuals at home only in 2002, now strictly prohibits the cutting of any sandalwood tree. Needless to say, Singh has little intention of ever felling his prized collection, rather he keeps on adding to the number of sandalwood plants in his garden.
A captivating aroma from a crushed leaf of Borneo Camphor wafts through the garden as Singh speaks about the plant like a pro. Camphor, now synthesised commercially, was traditionally obtained from these leaves!
At Singh’s home, there is no place for refined sugar. He sweetens his tea and favourite desserts with a few leaves of Stevia or the Meethi Tulasi (Stevia rebaudiana), which is claimed to be 250 times sweeter than regular sugar."