Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir

VR Saffron & Apricot Farms

An enticing sweet fragrance miffed in the air signifying the saffron presence.

Nandana smiled on as little lavender flower fields came into view where locals are engrossed in carefully plucking the delicate petals.

The whole scene of violet flowers on the red soil just beside the black hill covered with white clouds from the blue sky is.. aesthetic.

One can spend a lifetime here just looking at the nature.

Saffron cultivation has been the prime livelihood in Kishtwar. Though their successors moved to other professions still most of the people relay on farming, a part of their living.

Arshad drove through the fields to the store house situated at the end when their grandfather is already waiting for them outside.

He embraced the duo and affectionately showed them their hardwork, VR farms.. a collaboration of Verma's & Raiza's started decades ago.

They enjoyed & learned about Saffron, it's cultivation & preservation through Teja's Uncle. Nandana and Arshad were surprised listening & observing how saffron is plucked out with care from the crocus. It still needed manual work & the locals there doing a great job in it.

Later, Nandana wandered around thinking where's Teja. She didn't see her since she came when she saw Vittal plucking the flowers with the locals.

"V", he looks at her, "Where's Bunny?"

He huffed & pointed out the direction, "Wo ped pein"

She's about to nod & prepare to go there when she realised what he said.

"Ped pein?",she asked to confirm whether what she heard is right to which he nods.

"Waha kya kar rahi hein?", she wonders confused.

"Bandar kya karegi ped pein ha?", his innendo question makes her chuckle and she sprints there to see what her dear friend was doing on a tree when he yells, "Tell that monkey to stop hanging on trees and come here fast.I need help"

He huffs because Teja actually joined him for help but she's doing everything except that.

Nandana laughs as she runs her way to the apricot farms.

The other side of the farms are of apricot trees neatly aligned with small orange buds, preparing for another harvest.

Adhvik was strolling around the apricot farms inhaling their scent when he heard a light humming and rumbling from aside.

He went on hearing the sound when he reached a huge mango tree at a corner of the farm.

A light smile steals his lips as it reminds of his mother telling it's story. It was planted by Lalitha when she was child & he remembers how she makes sure to visit the farm & water the tree.

Though she planted so many plants & trees but this one is special as no one thought it would sustain but here it is, grown to be the bigger, stronger and taller one.

He looks up to see Teja was already on a wide branch of the tree, searching for good mangoes & throwing it in the basket on ground, if she finds one.

As it's winter, there were very few hiding behind the leaves.

"Hey", he calls her in an audible tone & she immediately looks down to see him, "Give me that red one"

He asks her pointing out a red mango which caught his attention. Lalitha used to say that the specific tree is also special because it produces purple mangoes which turn into red color when riped.

She isn't surprised seeing him there as his grandfather told her about their arrival & he would always visit the tree whenever he visits, which is rare.

But him asking her the fruit surely raised her eyebrows.

"Climb up and get what ever you want",she simply shrugs off & indulges in her search.

He clenches & squarely looks at her, "This is my mom's. You can't have them so get down this instant."

"It is in my farm and I was the one who took care of it when Lalli couldn't visit which gives me all the more rights to take the fruits."

He deeply breathes. Well she's true. It's difficult for his mother to regularly visit the place & Teja took her responsibility without any saying because Teja comes here for every 4 months. She would even video call his mother & show her it's health.

"Our farm",correcting her, he starts climbing the mango tree with ease.

They are trained in rock climbing so a tree is their cup of tea.

He is on the other branch plucking the mangoes when Nandu enters.

"Bunny ..", her excited yell stops when she saw her brother, "Bhai!"

"App yaha?", she asks in surprise and bit excitement.

He lightly smiles at her,"Do you want some?"

"Yes",she jumps up & down nodding her head in the same way.

"Get the basket",he tells her & she immediately brings one wicker basket used for apricots.

He plucks some nice mangoes & throws them while she tries to catch it directly from the basket.

Nandana feels elated looking at Adhvik whose focus is totally on how to get his sister the best fruits.

It reminded of her childhood when Adhvik was just a merry boy & not an responsible adult whose free time is busy with Nandana.

Adulthood really robs off many things not just from that person but from others too who are connected to him.

She excitedly points out all the mangoes visible to her while her brother quickly plucks out all of them moving with ease.

Teja smiles at her but realizing he would take all the juicy one's she gets into the work.

They got all they could except one big red pulpy mango.

Unfortunately, it catches both of their sight at the same time.

They both move ahead from either sides to pluck it when they saw eachother & realizes even the other want the same.

Teja quickly asserts, "Nandu leave that to me"

Adhvik raise his eyebrows at her indirect claim but doesn't stop moving towards the fruit.

Widening her eyes, even Teja does the same not backing off.

The fruit was hanging higher than where they were so they both were crawling up but his height helped him to reach faster.

Carefully standing on the branch he's about to get hold of the fruit when the branch where he's standing wiggles until he falls down.

Giggling, Teja quickly climbs up because of her low weight & plucks the mango, carefully crawls down & jumps onto the ground with a thud.

Nandana couldn't decipher how he fell as they both were higher than her vision intermingling with the leaves.

While Adhvik could get a bare hint when he saw her walking to them with that particular fruit & her basket.

"Bhai are you ok?",his sister worriedly checks his arms & limbs, dusting off the soil.

Teja reaches them, "Kya hua?"

"Pata nai Bunny. Bhai achanak se gir gaya"

"Slip hogaya hoga peir",he narrows his eyes at her answer.

"Well let's get him to V. He might check"

"I am fine."

Adhvik calmly looks assures his sister when Arshad comes to call them.

"Chale?", they nod & Arshad takes the basket from Nandana as they move ahead.

Even Teja takes a step when Adhvik suddenly pulls the basket from her,

"All for one"

And he walks away taking a mango from the basket & biting it while Teja huffs looking at the single fruit she has in hand.

Biting it, she follows him annoyed.

Now, she has to take take her basket of mangoes from his home.

Huh!

Picture tho abhi baki hein Mera dosth...

Hello after a long time!