Sudhin Kumar Mitra’s address may be Karunamoyee, but at heart, he lives in the hills. Not only does he run the tea company Teahaat, but he also brings back plants from the hills whenever he goes over, and tries to nurture them in his balcony. Orchids, succulents, fruits and vegetables…space may be limited in his flat, but when one has passion like he does, one finds ways to grow them all.
Back in the ‘80s, I joined a tea company in Assam in the IT department. Work would finish by 3.30pm, and after that we were free to do as we pleased. That’s when I developed my interest in gardening. Lots of neighbours grew plants, and I learnt from them. So much so that in my very first year there, I won two prizes in the flower show. In the second year, I won first prize for lawn garden in the bachelor’s category.
Over time, I shifted to the head office in Calcutta, and then to Salt Lake in 1993. But the hills never left me. I brought down plants like Cymbidium Orchids and Liliums to remind me of the hills. I also got some of my favourite Roses but they were withering in the heat here, so I gave them away.
Now I grow Miniature Roses, Floribunda Roses, Jasmine, Hibiscus and have a kitchen garden too. My wife Anju loves plucking fresh Tomatoes, Capsicums, Chillies, and Curry Leaves to use in cooking. She made lots of vadas out of our Coriander Leaves last season.
I love doing things myself, and from scratch. Once, I brought home some earthworms to make my own vermicompost. I left them in an ice bucket overnight, but they managed to escape. The next morning, Anju woke up, stepped out of bed, and squirmed as she felt them squishing under her feet.
I also propagate organic farming and am currently helping a friend transition his farmhouse plants to this eco-friendly system.
Whenever someone tells me a certain plant won’t survive Calcutta’s weather, I take it as a challenge. The humidity here is tough on cool-climate plants, but I try. To help them, we hung up agro shade nets like curtains on our balcony grills. They protect the plants from the harsh sun and rains, and also act as a natural cooler for us.