Alive No More: My Would (Not) Be Bonsai

It has been nurtured, nursed and trained for more than a decade already. My aim was that one day it would become a pleasant bonsai, at least to myself, a self turned amateur bonsai hobbyist. But alas, this potted tamarindus indica or locally know as asam jawa is alive no more. I have tried all that I can to rescue this plant but to no avail. I tried into practice of what I have read about the do's and don'ts in dealing with a sick plant but I failed. In the end, it was found out that the plant (or the bonsai potential) has succumbed to an attack by a certain wood borer which I failed to notice earlier on. The rest, they say, is history.

As with photography and orchids, the art of bonsai has fascinated me for about two decades already. My love story with bonsai is quite a mixture of wonders, satisfaction and sadness. In 1995, twelve pots of my bonsai were stolen. I made a police report and the culprit was identified and caught. That poor guy spent three nights in a police lockup. But before being apprehended by the police, he managed to sell two pots of my bonsai to someone else. I managed to track the (cooperative) buyer and without any hesitation I got back what is rightfully mine without much exchange of words. He lost his money of course because have he tried to be uncooperative, I would also lodge a police report against him for being an accomplice. The rest of my plants were returned to me a few day later though some came back in quite bad shapes.

The year 2006 saw yet another sad story with me and my bonsai. This time around, four of my more presentable bonsai plants were yet again stolen when no one was at home. The thief (or thieves) was/were quite merciful though because only the plants were taken leaving the pots to spare for other plants. Up till this day, no news were heard of the plants and I suspect it must have been out of the district. If it has been somewhere within, surely they would have been recognized because lots of my friends have good memory of them even if the pots have been changed as each bonsai have their unique personality.

From that two incidences, I have learned how to make my bonsai plants look less enticing and unattractive by not planting them in beautiful bonsai pots. This I hope would attract less attention considering the neighborhood that I am now staying. But of course when the right time should come, they will be re-potted accordingly and that right time would be when I move out from my present dwelling place to my very own house that I can really call a home.

And about the dead bonsai potential plant, I thought it might be proper to immortalize it in pictures before it is de-potted.

When it was alive.

Alive no more.

Alive but only in picture now.