The Spouses of our Batchmates and their talents - Dhushyanthi Vedavanam

The Spouses of our Batchmates and their talents.

Featuring Dhushyanthi Vedavanam, wife of the late S.Vedavanam.

Mahendra “Speedy” Gonsalkorale.

Our Batch has been exceptional in so many ways. We have kept in touch with each other both electronically and, when possible, in person. Today, I would like to shift the focus to our batchmates' spouses. Many of them have stood out for their frequent presence at Reunions and for their contributions through comments on the Blog. Many are great achievers in their chosen fields and have distinguished themselves.

Dhushy,  Veda, Krishni & Tharan

Today, I want to focus on Dhushyanthi Vedavanam, the wife of the late Sivakumar Vedavanam or Veda, as we fondly called him, who passed away on 1st July 2015. Both her children are in the Medical profession. In subsequent posts, I shall feature some of the other spouses. 

Dhushy has attended many of our London reunions and frequently commented on the Blog. She thinks highly of our Batch, but as I discovered, she is also an amazing and talented person on her own right, as well as being a sensitive and loving human being.

I am delighted to post a short, illustrated article about her gardening expertise, one of her many talents. Dhushy is a well-accomplished and well-respected Gardner. She has won many awards and prizes. I am sure you will note her philosophical attitude to life when you read her story. I have not included the names of the wide range of flowers, fruits, and vegetables that appear, but I am sure Dhushy would be happy to answer any specific questions about them in response to comments.

Background:

In 1990, a small group of enthusiastic gardeners in Biddenham decided that the village needed an organisation which would give them the opportunity to share their love of gardening with like-minded people and provide a forum for increasing their knowledge through talks and demonstrations. The first meeting of the Biddenham Gardeners’ Association (the BGA) took place at the Village Hall in 1991.

Over the years, many different speakers have visited to present a wide range of gardening-related topics. Most talks are accompanied by a presentation, whilst some take the form of a practical demonstration. All of our speakers have a particular expertise, some are well known nationally and many have been Gold medal winners at RHS shows.

“In January 2025, we were lucky to have a video presentation by Dhushy about her garden at Rose View, Main Road, Biddenham. She presented the four seasons in her garden, but before starting this video she gave us some background to her love of gardening, how the garden has grown over the years since she came to Biddenham in 2004, that the interaction with the garden and her work in it gives her great pleasure, but that she also relishes the moments when she can sit down and contemplate the results”. Dhushy moved from Durham to Bedford in 2004 to be nearer her family. It took a year to clear the garden at Rose View, which was a mixture of clay and rubble, and in the last twenty years she has focused on colour in the garden, which attracts birds and pollinators. She has 22 standard roses, more than 55 dahlias and a huge number of other plants.

In the Winter, the Cosmos and Zinnias are cleared away, and the Climbing plants and perennials are mulched. The clematis, with its creamy-speckled bell flowers, attracts pollinators in winter. The garden's slow death this season is fascinating. In January, she removes the leaves of the Hellebores so they can regenerate. Hydrangeas and winter honeysuckle which provide colour in the garden during the winter are pruned in March. Viburnums flower in the winter and are a low maintenance plant. They need to be pruned lightly after flowering. Elephants ears turn purple in the winter, evergreen lavenders, winter flowering heather and heuchera hold the borders together, with the help of saxifragia, ferns, and fatsia. There is a long privet hedge in her garden which adds texture and is a haven for wild life. As the snowdrops break through, she looks forward to spring. There is a unique beauty in the winter garden.

In Spring snowdrops followed by daffodils, tulips and then peonies start the seasons, the tulips are planted in the borders and containers and combine well with late narcissi. There are yellow and purple crocuses, bluebells, hyacinths, alliums, irises, primroses, primulas, forget-me-nots, peonies, hellebores, cyclamen, camelias. The Braeburn apple blossom also adds colour.

The Summer is a busy and beautiful time. In late May the dawn chorus is at its best, and there are many fledglings. Dhushy has in her summer garden cosmos, sunflowers, Dahlias, climbing roses (Compassion, Scent from Heaven, New Dawn, White Floribunda, Gertrude Jekyll, Ballerina), 55 varieties of Dahlia, Alstroemeria, Phlox, Hydrangeas, 34 types of Clematis, Coneflowers, Penstemons, 15 different types of Salvia, Tobacco plants, Geraniums, Hibiscus, with Lavender alongside the Roses and Dahlias.

In Autumn the garden comes into its own. The shrubs are turning into bronze and orange. There are Cotoneasters, Cyclamen, Michaelmas daisies, Asters, Sedums, Chrysanthemums, the Dahlias continue flowering until the frosts arrive. Pansies and Violas supply colour all through to the spring, the Cotoneasters are covered with red berries, and there is a green carpet of Heather. There is always plenty to do in the Autumn, preparing for the next year”.

Dhushy’s presentation was received enthusiastically by a large audience. 

A few illustrative comments.

From Linda Truscott, Co-Chair and Membership Secretary, BGA.

Dear Dhushy,  I am writing, on behalf of the committee, to thank you for presenting the first talk of the year at the BGA.  We all so enjoyed your presentation.  It was polished, informative and so interesting.  We had so many lovely comments from our members and visitors and you must have been very pleased that it was so well received.  We are mindful that a presentation of this calibre does not materialise without a great deal of planning and preparation and we thank you for that - you got us off to a good start for 2025!

From Val Fitzhugh, Chair till 2021

From Kam, the owner of Bedford School of Photograpghy.

Your presentation was not only a testament to your hard work but also to your talent and ability to bring a vision to life. The feedback last night was all highly positive, and it’s easy to see why – the attention to detail and professionalism you brought to every aspect truly shone through. The video was really well put together and clearly a lot of intricate editing went into that. This achievement is something you should be very proud of, and it sets a fantastic example of what can be accomplished with hard work.

From Jan Page. Visiting Speakers, Raffle and Publicity.

Hi Dhushy, Well done for a very successful evening, everyone loved your video. I hope you enjoyed the evening.It was a treat meeting your children and your friends, l think they were all very impressed.Thanks again for a very successful evening

A selection of photos from her garden.

And now in her own words…..

My Thoughts and Reflections…..on my gardening and my presentation

By Dhushyanthi Vedavanam

One may wonder what prompted me to do the video on the four Seasons in my garden.

I joined the Biddenham Gardeners Association nearly five years after my move to Bedford.  A very Senior lady called Joy Bean, who was an icon in the village, virtually forced me to join.  The Secretary Norman King had earlier approached me and encouraged me to display some flowers in my garden at the Biddenham Show. I did not take much notice.

In 2013, I was approached by the Show Committee Organiser, Rosemary Harris, to enter the show. I didn’t realise the amount of work involved, but reluctantly agreed.  The show was on a Sunday. I went off to London to babysit for my daughter. I returned on the Saturday. I had to print the entry cards for the different categories- Flowers, fruits and vegetables and get my produce ready. My computer was not working.  I informed Rosemary that I would like to withdraw. She would not take ‘No’ for an answer! She offered to print the Entry Cards for me.  I was stuck wondering where to begin!

I started to prepare my production very late at night. I had no time to arrange the flowers.  I left the task for the morning. I found it a very daunting experience as this was my first attempt. I woke up at 4 am the next morning and went round my garden with a torch, picked the flowers and put them in vases. I had to be at the Village Hall by 7.45 am. We were given an hour to arrange everything on the tables before judging started.  I nearly passed out!

On reflection, I had a slight advantage over the other contestants in that I have been to so many shows and seen the presentations. I won the BGA shield and all other cups, too.  After that I entered four more years -in total five years. The last time I entered was in 2022, just after COVID.  I entered for an additional category, Photography, and won the Bradbury Cup for gaining the most points in Photography. I also won the Maurice Appleton Rose Bowl for best large Flower arrangement. The theme- the Jubilee Celebrations. I also won the best small flower Arrangement on the theme “Jewel Garden” which was done according to the specifications given

I was unable to show all the flowers, fruits, and vegetables, or all the plants, in my garden within the allotted hour. I put some photographs in an album, which was circulated at the presentation. I am showing some of those photos on the blog.

After many years of improving my garden, I realise that gardening, just like life, is a series of well-meaning cock-ups and happy accidents, unplanned successes and baffling, frustrating failures.  Happily, unlike life, gardening mistakes are rarely worth crying about. You could watch my video where I talk about losing my chrysanthemums- I can talk about it now without sobbing. I feel gardening is a low-risk hobby. Nobody gets hurt.

I love gardening because, unlike the rest of my life, a lack of knowledge, foresight and education does not hold me back.  Nothing seems to dampen my enthusiasm. I believe that when I grow plants, every day brings a small miracle. I hope my video will encourage novice and experienced gardeners, as well as non-gardeners, to fall in love with gardening in a whole new way.

What I really want to do is help silence the inner critic in us all, that nagging voice that tells us that our endeavours are not good enough, that there is no point in trying because our efforts are doomed to failure, because we are not up to it.   Perhaps the most valuable thing that gardening can teach us is to forgive ourselves, our failures, and celebrate our successes, however tiny, whether it is the lovely red, yellow and orange tomatoes, or the spitting in the eye of a potato- it should all be fun.

I started to photograph in 2017. I joined the U3A. I didn’t own a fancy camera. Many years ago I had 35mm £20 camera from Boots - I photographed my children when they were young. I had no understanding of the technicalities or the rudiments. I was happy clicking away!!

The photographic critic at U3A, Cliff Harvey, encouraged me to get a Nikon DSLR 330D. My son got the camera for me. Cliff helped me initially set it up, and I started photographing buildings, Street photography, nature, landscapes, and my own garden, too. I was enjoying my newfound hobby. I learnt to edit with Photoshop. I then joined the Bedford School of Photography and got lessons from Rob. After some time, Kam, the owner of Bedford School of Photography, persuaded me to invest in a mirrorless camera, and I bought another Nikon Z50.  This is the camera I use with confidence. This has helped me to rediscover the quiet delight of peaceful concentration.  These offerings- gardening, cooking my produce, and photography have been done with love and in the full knowledge that I am an amateur gardener, an amateur photographer and a novice writer too.

I really hope that my hit-and-miss at these disciplines will encourage other would-be artists, writers, and gardeners to pick up a pencil, a camera, a trowel, or an idea and run with it.   Give it a go- as I did. Let’s give ourselves permission to mess up, go wrong, make mistakes and carry on. Let us turn down the volume of our inner critic, get dirt under our fingernails, paint on our cardigans, and put a big smile on our faces? Why not? We have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

In a world where our identity is constantly scrutinised, monetised and assessed, it is such a relief to know that whoever we are, we can be gardeners.

A further selection from her beautiful garden

Around September 2023, I finally agreed to talk about my garden. It took me 14 months to put it together. It is the four seasons in my garden with my background and history. Enjoy the video!

Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere and grateful thanks to Mahendra for posting my video and write-up to go with it. It was Mahen who used his gentle persuasive powers to encourage me to share this in the blog. I was rather reluctant at first but gave much thought it and finally agreed.

Let me raise a toast to Mahen for his exceptional talent and knowledge in editing and for bringing together all the interesting contributions from you all on the Blog. This requires discipline and a timely approach, and he has developed a great skill to do it. He deserves many accolades for his hard work.

He helped me immensely to format my photographs for the write-up and had face-to-face Zoom meetings amidst his busy schedule of work, which I appreciate very much. He has kept this blog going and I have no doubt his efforts are much appreciated by all the contributors. I congratulate Mahen for his tireless efforts to include the spouses of your departed colleagues. Thank you Mahen for your kindness.

NOTE from Speedy: This unlisted video is included for Blog members only. Please be kind enough not to share the link or make it Public. You can watch the video within this window. Just click on the arrow. Fortify yourself with a nice drink and have some gentle soft music in the background and make sure you are seated comfortably!