Some plants are more than just plants. They become part of our childhood, carrying the sights, feelings, and memories of a time that has quietly disappeared. For many Malayalis, Appooppan Thaati (Calotropis) is one such plant.
I painted this work with memories of those simple childhood moments in mind. When the seed pods of Appooppan Thaati ripened, their soft, silky white seeds would escape and float away with the wind. Watching them drift through the air was a small wonder. We would sometimes hold them in our hands, gently blow on them, and watch them begin their journey.
There was something magical about those tiny white seeds. They seemed to have no destination of their own; they simply surrendered themselves to the wind. Yet, hidden within that seemingly aimless journey was one of nature’s beautiful ways of continuing life.
In this painting, I have brought together the flowers, leaves, and flying seeds of the Appooppan Thaati. Against the deep blue background, the delicate white seeds appear almost like fragments of memories floating through the air.
As time passes, the world around us changes. Many of the sights that were once an ordinary part of childhood are slowly disappearing from our surroundings. But some memories, like the seeds of the Appooppan Thaati, never really leave us. They continue to drift quietly through our minds.
For me, this painting is a tribute to one such memory — an attempt to look back at a childhood that once seemed as free and effortless as an Appooppan Thaati seed carried away by the wind.
Painting: Harisankar Kalavoor, 2023
