

Gunjan Khandelwal’s passion for gardening has created a haven of pristine beauty that offers ‘a feast for the eyes and succour for the soul’!
Gunjan’s garden
I have always believed that it is not IQ or EQ which results in excellence but another factor called PQ or Passion Quotient. One individual who proves this dictum is Mrs. Gunjan Khandelwal, a resident of Nagpur, whose passion for gardening has created a haven of pristine beauty that offers ‘a feast for the eyes and succour for the soul’!
The piece de resistance in her little sanctuary is the terrace garden spread over a small area of 750 square feet. It is dotted with a variety of seasonal plants, aquatics, xerophytes, vegetables, fruit plants like mango, lemon, pomegranate, fig, papaya, litchi, kamrak, apple bear, water apple et al. Besides, a collection of several plants from different places, such as water bamboo, also embellish her garden.
Creativity has always been an intrinsic part of Gunjan’s life, ever since she can remember.
“In childhood whenever I could take time off from my studies I would be dabbling with either art or pottering about in our little kitchen garden giving an expression to my ‘green thumb’. I have always shared a sublime synergy with nature. Even while going on sojourns I would make it a point to visit places where nature reigned supreme. Around 12 years ago I fell prey to a dreadful disease – the ‘sweet and sugary’ diabetes. I was on insulin 5 times a day. It was during this trying period that gardening offered me a sanctuary and solace. From a mere hobby it became a passion,” Gunjan says.
Every morning Gunjan steps on to her terrace filling up her senses with the ethereal beauty and freshness of nature. “The colours of the blooms fill my life with unadulterated joy and pleasure. I nurture the saplings with great care as one brings up a child. My terrace is a place for meditation, it is my medication, it is my little paradise.”
Gunjan Khandelwal in her garden
Her husband, Advocate, Solicitor & Corporate Counsellor, A.K. Natani (Khandelwal) has always been a pillar of support. He has encouraged her to create her very own paradise.
Gunjan has won a number of awards in the competitions organized by Nagpur Garden Club, Parks & Garden and Friends International Institute of Engineers. However, she would like to reiterate that though prizes are definitely the icing on the cake, the real inspiration is the connect she can establish with nature through this passion of hers.
And it is this bond which has helped her fight the ogre of diabetes. At present she is off insulin and is managing quite well with only two tablets per day.
There is another side to Gunjan’s creativity. She is an exceptionally talented painter. Here too her predilection finds an eloquent expression on canvas as she creates myriad images of nature in all her glory.
“It is my firm belief that everyone is blessed with creativity. What is needed is determination and dedication to stoke the embers of talent. A tryst with nature has been my elixir of joy and I invite everyone to partake of this experience and make their lives more enriching and fulfilling,” Gunjan says.
Gunjan’s terrace garden spread over a small area of 750 square feet with its variety of fruit plants
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