Metamorphosis

It is a pleasant Sunday evening and after a long wait, Dada is finally free today. like any other grandchild, Subbu always loved talking to Dada and he loved listening to the interesting stories that Dada narrated.

Subbu: Dada, you are free today after a long time, shall we go for a walk at least today, please don't say No!, please! please! please!?

Dada : (laughs and pats Subbus shoulder) Sure beta, why not! We shall go out! but not for a walk!!

Subbu: ( Little relieved but still in doubt) Okay, where are we going?

Dada: Let's go to our garden today, I will teach you few gardening tips that u have asked for last Sunday. ok?

Subbu: (Excited) Wow! Sounds great dada! I am excited.

....Subbu jumps with happiness as he is going to spend quality time with Dada, he quickly goes and picks up all the necessary gardening tools required and gets back to Dada in a jiffy....

Subbu: Dada lets go!

Dada: (smiles, caressing subbu's hair) you should behave like a good boy while you are in the garden okay? You should not kill any insect that comes your way.

Subbu: Sure dada! not this time! I promise!!

Dada: that's my boy! lets go!!

...They reach the garden in their back yard, Subbu stands there holding all the tools wondering what Dada will teach him today...

Dada: Subbu come here!

Subbu: Yes Dada

Dada: We are going to clean the surroundings of these plants and make them feel good today. The task is simple. we shall remove the dead leaves which are still on the plant and also the dead leaves which are near the roots of the plant.

Subbu: Okay!

(takes a broom nearby and tries to clean off the dead leaves near the roots)

Dada: Subbu.. No, keep all the tools aside and we are doing all the work with our bare hands. It's okay even if your hands get dirty. It is good for you

Subbu: oh okay dada!!

..Subbu sits down and tries to remove the dead leaves one by one with his cute little hands. And as usual, Subbu gets a doubt...

Subbu: Dada! why are we doing all this? why does the plant feel good if we clean its surroundings?

Dada: Mmm, you water the plants every morning isn't it?

Subbu: yes...

Dada: So because of that the soil gets wet. if there is dirt around the roots of the plant, the dirt stops sunlight and air from entering, and as a result, the roots will rot in the moisture locked by dead leaves. The plant may even die because of excess moisture. Do you remember how bad your T-shirt smelled when it couldn't get dry in the last rainy season?

Subbu: Eww! it was horrible!

Dada: same way plant feels very bad when its surroundings are wet for too long.

Subbu: Ohhh that's so sad.

...." from now I will make it a point to keep the plant surroundings clean and fresh," he thinks to himself.. and Subbu sees dada plucking the dead leaves from the plant as well.....

Subbu: Dada.. why are u removing the dead leaves? can they too kill the plant?

Dada: No beta, they cannot kill the plant, but they too are not good for the plant..

Subbu: Why Dada?

Dada: there are several reasons beta.. leaves are food providers to the plant. Anyway, the leaf is dead so it cannot prepare food. another reason is, You know that roots provide minerals to the plant.. isnt it?

Subbu: Yes! I know, My teacher told us!

Dada: Good! So, roots provide minerals to all leaves... but a dead leaf cannot take any more minerals coming from the roots. So the minerals go waste. so we remove this leaf so that root wont send any more minerals to this leaf and that portion of minerals can be used for other purposes like for producing flowers or fruits.

Subbu: Wowww! I didn't know this dada!

Dada: when I was of your age, I didn't know too! so you knew it, earlier than I knew it (Smiles and Winks)

Subbu: Haha!!

..Subbu continues to pluck the dead leaves and he is loving cleaning the surroundings of the plant... he passes on from one plant to another silently...

while he is about to pluck something....

Dada: Subbu NO!! (holds subbu's hand stopping him from plucking)

..Subbu turns towards dada, bewildered...

Dada: Don't pluck that! hold on!

Subbu: Dada.. that's just a leaf, hanging...

Dada: Beta, that's not a leaf. It's Pupa of a caterpillar...

Subbu: ewW, caterpillar? (subbu quickly withdraws and hugs his hand which was about to pluck)

Dada: Haha, No beta, Its not caterpillar, its Pupa of caterpillar.

Subbu: what does it mean?

Dada: Do you love butterflies?

Subbu: Ooohh! Yes! I Loooove them, they are so colorful and beautiful!!

Dada: Yes, for caterpillars that u are so scared of, to become those butterflies you love, caterpillars have to undergo this stage called the Pupa stage.

Subbu: Ohh.. they turn into a butterfly in this small Pupa?

Dada: Yes beta, So, don't pluck them okay?

Subbu: Sure dada..

..Subbu continues to do the work, but he is very fascinated by the fact that an Ugly caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly in this small Pupa. He is very distracted now. he goes back to where he saw Pupa hanging and stands there staring at it in owe....

Dada: Subbu what are u doing here?

Subbu: (whispers) Shhhhhh! Dada don't talk! caterpillar is sleeping... It may wakeup

Dada: (laughs and whispers) Sure beta! won't talk!!!!

Subbu: (continues to whisper...) Dada, What do you think it is doing?

Dada: Hmm.. I am sorry, but what if I tell you that caterpillar is not even present in that Pupa?

Subbu: (Still whispers) Shhh.. dadaa, please talk slowly, And tell me where did caterpillar go?

Dada: It's not even alive beta, it's dead!

Subbu: (Louder) What!! really?? But you said caterpillar becomes a butterfly in this Pupa.. how can butterfly come out if the caterpillar is dead?

Dada: Hmm... that's what nature has designed beta..!

Subbu: Dada I am confused! If I open this Pupa now, what will i find? won't i find a sleeping caterpillar?

Dada: No you wont! If u rip this open now, you will find a liquid coming out of it... that is it.

Subbu: Ohh...

...For some reason Subbu seemed disturbed with all this...

Dada: Beta, come do not worry, in few days it will take rebirth as a beautiful butterfly... we shall make sure to say Hi to it okay?

Subbu: Hmm, okay, but dada, how did caterpillar get there?

Dada: Sure, are u ready to listen?

Subbu: Yes dada..

Dada: Hm okay.. listen...So, the mother butterfly comes and lays an egg on one of the leaves of a plant.. And after few days a little cateerpillar comes out of that egg, and it starts eating everything that it comes across.. You know, it even eats the eggshell it came from.

Subbu: Woah! Must be very hungry (chuckles)

Dada: It feeds on the plant for days together.. You see, observe the plant where you found the pupa? You can find a lot of holes in the leaves.

Subbu: Yes dada, there are so many

Dada: Yes! like that... it eats up everything to the maximum it can.. At one point, The caterpillar cannot grow anymore... So it stops eating and hangs there to take rest... a bag kind of structure develops around the Caterpillar.. and we call it Pupa.. and then the extreme transformation happens

...Subbu listens to dada with utmost curiosity...

Dada: Then the caterpillar goes through something very painful..

Subbu: (innocently asks) what is it dada?

Dada: In order to be able to become a butterfly, the caterpillar has to fall apart completely, decompose down to its very essence, dissolving it's very own shape or consciousness. It literally dies, until there is nothing left of it.

Subbu: Oh...

Dada: and then the dissolved liquid restructures inside to form those beautiful wings, the body, and the tiny legs.. and it comes out as a beautiful butterfly... 🦋

......Subbu, for his age, could not really explain what he is exactly going through but he stood in awe for its depth and force.....

Subbu: This is so interesting dada.. !! . I always thought the process would be something that resembles human growth. I thought that the caterpillar’s shape would evolve, its body would become thinner and more elongated, and somehow the wings would grow out. I never imagined that a caterpillar goes through so much in order to become a butterfly...

Dada: Yes beta, Nature has some incredible truths hidden inside. All you need to do is ask some really simple questions just like you asked today.

....Subbu's view of seeing a caterpillar as ugly has completely changed.. A few moments back .. he mistook cocoon for just a dehydrated leaf hanging... But now, he knows there is a whole new world inside that little cocoon.. Now he understood why Dada insisted Subbu to not kill any insect... He made sure to come every day and greet that little cocoon with his curious eyes... And he made it a point to make those innocent plants happy...

End of the path there will be sunlight. And wings.

....Some quality time with Dada and he learned how to take care of plants and he learned the greatness of insects... What other great things can happen if all of us spend quality time with each other...!

Picture Credits: artofchai