Green Fingers

Seema Manchanda teaches you how to do your own composting

- Seema Manchanda

Nature sustains us and helps us cope with life. It has both healing and stress-relieving properties. As adults living in a fast-paced urban environment, many of us are losing touch with nature, and becoming slaves to screens, gadgets, technology and city life. And while this lifestyle may offers all kinds of comforts and conveniences, it is also robbing us of a very important element from our life— the great outdoors.

The advent of the unfortunate global pandemic, we are currently facing, has somehow realigned my perspective towards technology as opposed to nature. COVID-19 has clearly pointed out the major imbalances in our lives. Within just a few days of everything being locked down, there was a paradigm shift in the environment. City pollution levels dropped and we could breathe cleaner air. Some even argued that the ozone layer started healing. However, we were still caged behind protective masks, unable to enjoy a better natural habitat—a harsh reminder of how nature is still the strongest force. While sharing lockdown and quarantine space with my children, my mind often wondered how I would teach them to be closer to nature and the value of its bounties. I soon stumbled upon the idea of composting. It seemed like an unpopular activity at the start, and I wondered if I could even keep my two kids engaged with it. But as we got more and more involved in it, it taught us that nothing in life goes to waste!

What is composting?