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Thursday Challenge - 2




IndiraGandhi Chibbad!

Haa goes without saying tht I dono the scientific or even the common name for this plant that the locals of  Dhandeli refer to as "IndiraGandhi Chibbad" ......... Hooo! But the pic doesnt look interesting u say!Read on the below snippet which I promise is more interesting......

The name "Indragandhi Chibbad" comes from the fact that the then PM Indira Gnadhi on her visit to Dhandeli spread out the seeds of this plant and in no time this grew wild n abound making itself at home in Dhandeli! Now comes the twist to the tale...

Why do u think the PM spread these seeds out in this place? It afterall is a wild plant that jus grows grows n grows like a wild bush with no value(Beauty-nutritional-export-medical) whatsoever !!! Why then why? The answer is: To create employment opportunities for the poor women folk there! Did u wonder how..... Well well the forest dept\local resort-hotel-land owners will hv to hire helpers to cut out these shrubs!!! Howwzzaaattttttt!!!!!

N if you for a moment shook ur head in agreement read on further to c how mindless it is..... This plant is supposedly a heat generator... Which means it guzzles up all water n oozes out so much heat that no plant or tress grows in its vicinity! Now imagine a plant like this in a forest... Do I need to say more!!

PS: No claims that there is any element of truth in this snippet.... I was told this by the local guide there! So no guarantees n ofcourse no prejudice whatsoever against Congress! After all my momma was a hardcore Congress fan... She actually shed tears n went into a mourning when Rajiv Gandhi died!
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8 comments:

  1. SwaramFebruary 17, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    Wow! Interesting!

    Oh ur Mom did that!

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  2. ♫ Melody ♫February 17, 2011 at 2:24 PM

    Nice picture

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  3. Indian Home MakerFebruary 17, 2011 at 7:23 PM

    It is not a good idea to plant seeds/trees in places not their natural habitat. Always creates trouble.

    Interesting story!

    ReplyDelete
  4. sangeetaFebruary 17, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    Hi Meena...
    Came here from IHM's blog.
    I think this plant is Parthenium which is a notorious weed and is responsible for asthma ( the pollen of this plant) in some parts of the country.

    This is also called congress grass and may be this is the reason why its called Indira gandhi plant in your region :) I found it quite funny..

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  5. shyFebruary 17, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    me too came from IHM.
    meena, like you am I a mallu and grew up there. I think the plant is called "communist pacha'. don't know why. but that contradicts what sangeeta said 'congress grass'. yes it is a notorius weed though.

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  6. shyFebruary 17, 2011 at 8:36 PM

    check this out: http://photos.sulekha.com/albums/members/sanabeel/slideshow/130346.htm

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mina MenonFebruary 17, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    Ha what do I call yea... SHy?? Hey thts sooo coool! Thnx for the link ... Beautiful pics out there

    ReplyDelete
  8. intransigentFebruary 18, 2011 at 11:19 AM

    Good one.

    But I think nothing is really wasted on this planet.Everything has a purpose!!

    "several studies proposed that Parthenium can be used as a Green manure, compost, biocontrol, soil ameliorate that may improve physical, chemical and biological properties of the soils and is a source of readily available plant micro- and macro-nutrients. Numerous studies revealed that the integrated use of Parthenium in soil modifies the physico-chemical, biological and nutritional quality of the soil. Parthenium has great potentiality in agriculture due to its efficacy in modification of soil health and crop performance. The high concentration of elements (N, P, K, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) in composted Parthenium increases the yield of many agricultural crops"

    ReplyDelete