But such changes, brought about by the winds of time, can do nothing to even slightly shake his determination. When most of us cannot even think of life at 93 years, Gyan Rai is still going strong at that very age.
Five days a week, this green-fingered gardener travels a route of 90 minutes from Nakkhu to Budanilkantha. [break] Nakkhu is where his family, with his 84-year-old wife, is, and it is also where he lives. But at Budnilkantha is Rai’s love and his soul: this orchard.
The plantation is spread over the seven ropanis of land he bought 35 years ago. Today, along with orchids, it is also a shelter to a few other fruits and vegetables.
“When you truly love something, nothing can ever keep you from it, not even age,” he exclaims. And it could not seem truer, as Rai shows no sign of exhaustion climbing up on the damaged road to his plantation.
Although, at this old age, his walking stick is the only assistant he has got, he says he does not require more. His feet are swift and hands stern. Pointing out to the little house on top of a small hill, he says “That’s my land there, and those are the orchid plants.” A joy gleams through his face, and it shines in the hot-day sun.
Orchids bloom only around October, but the greenery in and around his plantation is worth a watch. Ferns share a huge space of his plantation. He explains why he has so many:
“Ferns are 360 million years old, and older than land and animals – including dinosaurs.”
Having said that much, in a blink of an eye, he has already moved downwards.
“Look, there’s a frog,” he suddenly shouts. “Frogs have disappeared, and nobody seems to notice it,” he looks rather disappointed. He then goes talking about how he has been noticing the disappearance of crows, tadpoles, crickets, and also the swift birds from the area.
Suddenly he bursts out, “I have three rare orchids, but they need to bloom for me to show you.” He looks a bit sad this time. As he takes small careful steps leading to his orchard, he gives the names of these rare flowers: “Coelogyne, Harefield Hall, and Sanderae.”
The first one usually has yellow lips, but it has lost its yellow color completely and now is white. The second, which was pale brownish in color, has turned into yellow; and the third has multiplied three times its regular size.
His face lightens each time he explains – how these hybrids are partly luck and partly the result of his dedication, which he terms as love for his flowers.
“The hybridization is basically the crossing of two different types of orchids,” he explains. These rare types are not deliberately made but have occurred in Rai’s plantation due to the wind that blows the pollens, or maybe some other natural reasons.
A young boy in the field makes him remember his own once-tender age. He recalls the incident of how he tried a cigarette after his friends compelled him to. The smoke had made him choke and puke the whole night. That was the first and last cigarette Rai got his hands, or better still his lips, on.
“Even during those days, I would plant different flowers in my garden,” he recalls. Having always been interested in flowers and plants, he took up horticulture in college. Back in his younger years, he would plant different flowers in his garden and spend all his free time caring for them. Time kept on moving, but his interest in foliage and the soil only grew stronger.
He says he finds orchids very interesting because they are delicate and offer a huge variety.
“The Aztecs were said to drink a mixture of vanilla orchid and chocolate to give them power and strength, and the Chinese believe orchids can help cure lung illnesses and coughs,” he elaborates.
He then impulsively begins uprooting the weeds and grass around his beloved plants.
“Nature is beautiful, it loves us, and we should love it in return,” says the flower enthusiast. The relationship between man and nature Rai defines as pure, and something we should never lose. This, he claims, is the reason behind his dedication to his dearly beloved nursery.
True to what he says, therefore, Rai has spent all his life tending and gardening.
“I haven’t done any sort of job in my whole life, it’s always been me and my flowers,” he smiles. And in his smile, one can clearly see that he has not once regretted his decision.
With a winning smile still bright on his face, he indulges his plants yet again. Adoring his work, he says, “This is what I’ll be doing for the rest of the day and the rest of my life.”
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