THE AUTO DRIVER AND HIS GARDEN
An auto driver in Kolkata has received lots of attention for his garden. Many people have shared a photo of it online and praised the driver, 50-year-old Bijay Pal, for his ingenuity. Unlike most gardeners, Pal isn’t growing plants around his home—or even inside his home. He has created something quite rare: a mobile garden. A garden that goes everywhere he goes.
Where has he planted this garden? You guessed it: on top of his yellow and green rickshaw. A photo posted on Reddit.com shows Pal sitting in his auto, under a garden of green grass and saplings. A message below the garden reads: “Save Trees, Save Lives.”
Pal apparently created a container on top of his auto and filled it with soil. Perhaps he can register a patent and sell the concept to companies interested in marketing it to auto owners around the world. Not just auto rickshaw owners, but also car owners.
It wouldn’t be that popular in wintry climates, of course, but even if it’s just for the spring and summer, mobile gardens could be quite appealing. Imagine the attention you’d get driving around with a beautiful garden on top of your car (or in the cargo bed of your pick-up truck). You could grow ornamental grass, flowers, and perhaps even vegetables.
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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