A weed”, Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered”. A walk along the meandering paths of Gaia’s Garden convinces you of its truth. “Weeds help the insects in my garden to survive. They are also beneficial to the soil,” says Gerard Jak, creator of the garden, as he shows me around.
Jak’s gardening philosophy is deeply rooted in his environmental consciousness. “Keep nature natural—that is my mantra,” the Dutchman says with a smile. Jak settled in Auroville in 1996. Gaia’s Garden, spread across 2.5 acres, is now one of the more magnificent ornamental gardens at Auroville. The bougainvilleas and orchids brighten it. I ask Jak about other exotic plants in the garden and he quips, “For me, coming from the Netherlands, they are all exotic.” One of his favourites is the blue plumbago that flowers profusely. It is a haven for bees and butterflies, and Jak enjoys watching them flit from flower to flower.
Mornings in Gaia’s are beautiful. One can enjoy the surreal experience of waking up to a chorus of birdsong. The garden, dotted with ponds, fruit trees and flowering plants, attracts a wide variety of birds—like the kingfisher, spotted owlet, bulbul, pond heron, partridge and quail. We sit under a banyan tree that was planted 16 years ago. “I had put a Ganesha statue there, but the tree took it in. Now it looks like the trunks of Ganesha are coming out,” says Jak, 71.
From bullock heart, soursop, avocado and mango, to lime, coconut, bael and jamun, Jak’s garden boasts an eclectic mix of plants. While Jak nurtures the plants, Gaya, his partner, looks after the guest house overlooking the garden.
Gerard Jak in his garden
Jak lost his father when he was six. It was his grandfather who sparked his love for gardening. “Every holiday, my mother, sister and I would stay with my grandfather. He used to grow flowering plants. I would accompany him to the flower fields,” he recalls. In Holland, Jak had a house in the countryside, his first Gaia’s Garden. “We were blessed with a moderate climate and I used to grow my own vegetables as much as possible for the whole year. I started growing fruit trees like plum and pear as well,” he says. At 17, he learnt about hatha yoga from a magazine his mother was reading and started practising it.
Fascinated with India’s culture and heritage, Jak and his friend Rob headed east. But his plans got derailed when war between India and Pakistan broke out in December 1971 and they were stranded in Lahore. But India kept beckoning. After a brief spell in Tehran and Karachi, he travelled to Mumbai. While in Karachi, he had come to know about Ruud Lohman, who had written a book on Auroville. Jak took a bus to Puducherry to meet Lohman.
Despite the harsh weather, Jak fell in love with Auroville. “It was blissful. I felt so happy. It felt like homecoming. I walked and walked, and finally met Lohman at Matrimandir,” says Jak. He extended his stay there. When he ran out of money, Rob came and picked him up. They worked in Australia for a while. After attending his mother’s remarriage, he himself tied the knot with Annemarie, his teenage sweetheart. The couple had a lovely time in an Auroville tree house in 1976.
They returned to the Netherlands. In 1985, Jak and his mother came to Auroville. After he and his wife separated, he bought land there and built a cottage for his mother. Converting the barren land into a picturesque garden was no easy task, says Jak. It involved fencing it, making a rainwater tank and growing plants, trees and shrubs organically. “I am a plant freak,” he says. “I got my first plants from the Matrimandir nursery. Later, I slowly built my nursery.” Sometimes while strolling amidst the trees in his garden, Jak feels he is one among them.