Experiment With Nature Poem by Bashyam Narayanan

Experiment with nature

I started my career as a soil chemist
After my post-graduation in Chemistry
Over and above doing chemical analyses of
Soil, fertilizer and vegetative matter
Pertaining to tea plantations
We were involved in certain research projects

One of them was on the impact of foliar absorption
Of certain chemicals on tea leaf production

The chemical that was under our study was biuret
That could be a contamination in urea
Used as a nitrogen supplying fertilizer

We were to spray a spiked biuret aqueous solution
Of a known concentration in experimental plots
With a set number of tea plants

The experimental design had it that
After the foliar spray it should not drizzle, leave along rain
For two hours after spray

The trial should be rejected if it rained
Within two hours of spray

Our team reached the plots as planned
And did the spraying
With aqueous solutions of biuret in different concentrations
In four identified plots

But unfortunately, it rained within fifteen minutes
Forcing us to select new plots for spraying
We did the spray all over again
In new set of plots
Rain came again and spoiling our experiment

Three more times we repeated
And in all occasions it rained before two hours of spray

We were running short of chemical solution
And also plots with plants of similar clone
It was about to be noon
When we finished our last set of plots
And exhausted spray solution

I started talking to nature
Entering into an agreement
I vouched that I would not leave the place
Where I was standing
For the entire two hours
And it should not even drizzle

My team members were preparing to leave
And were asking me to follow

I said that I would hold on for sometime
I stood there foregoing my lunch break
All the time praying against rain

I did not even shifted positions of my feet
Throughout the period
There were winds and clouds moving
Threatening me with rain
But not a drop came down

I kept my dialogue with nature alive
Praying that our
Research efforts did not go a waste

I nursed no other thought
But prayed in silence for a rain-free weather
For at least two hours from the time of spray

I would not claim that my prayers worked
But, yes my prayers were answered
There was no rain for the whole day after that
Nature listens to us
Provided we pray with a harmless intent