“I don’t want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!” — Anne Frank
Reflection:
This quote goes right along with the story behind the beautiful botanical garden in Kotkata, India.
When walking into it you feel like you have been transported away from the hustle and bustle of the city and into a world of beauty with vibrant and vivid colors of the flowers and exotic plants. It turns out that the missionary William Carey started this institution—the oldest of its kind in India—in 1820, with a goal of helping the local people in a practical way. He saw the local farmers using inferior seeds and ineffective farming techniques, and he wanted to improve their livelihoods and help them to realize, as he put it, “the capabilities of the soil to enrich a nation to an almost indefinite extent.” Carey’s vision was a whole lot greater than just planting and exhibiting pretty flowers. He gathered near-extinct species of plants and nurtured them in the society’s garden so they’d be preserved for the future. He also included maize, cotton, tea, sugar cane, and cinchona from various countries and introduced the concept of plantation farming to this part of India. He was successful in imparting this vision to others, and the society he created helped pioneer the introduction of a wide array of cereals, cash crops, fruits, vegetables, and other trees and plants.
I am impressed by how Carey’s legacy lives on almost two centuries after he had his initial idea. When he started this garden, it was a completely out-of-the-box concept and it is likely that
he faced many challenges and much opposition, but he persevered.
What sort of legacy will you leave behind? Even small things can have a great impact on generations to come.