Keep Looking (Season 1 Finale)

Ram

Ten episodes ago, we asked you a question. When did a tree last teach you something?… That day, I had no answer. Today, I have nine.

Ram

Namaste dosto. Welcome to the last episode of season one of Hey Nature. I'm Ram. This season, we walked through all nine Parts of the book. Hey Nature: 100 Gurus Hiding in Plain Sight. By SuRa Mukkavilli. Today, no new lessons. Today, we remember. And Priya is with me. One last time this season. Priya!

Priya

Hello, Ram. I've been looking forward to this one. And I'm a little sad too.

Ram

Me too. So. Confession time. Every episode, I made promises. On air. In front of everyone.

Priya

You did. Many.

Ram

So today, I'll tell you which ones I kept.

Priya

Start with the watchman.

Ram

I did it. The day after the vulture episode. I said, thank you for everything you do here. He looked at me like I'd gone mad.

Priya

And then?

Ram

Then he smiled. A big smile. Now he waves at me every morning.

Priya

Thank the cleaner before you miss them.

Ram

And the dentist. Remember? Great dentist. Told nobody.

Priya

Guilty, you said.

Ram

Not any more. I told three friends. One of them sent me a thank-you message. Like the ant. Find it. Then go back and tell.

Priya

And the hardest one?

Ram

… My father. After the lapwing episode. You asked us to call someone who protected us quietly.

Priya

Did you call?

Ram

I did. I said, Papa, I noticed. Thank you. He was quiet for a long time. Then he said, took you long enough.

Priya

Oh, Ram.

Ram

He doesn't say much. But the next day, he called me. Just to talk. That has never happened before.

Priya

The lapwing draws the danger to herself, so the nest stays safe. And one day, someone notices.

Ram

Okay. Enough about me. Your turn. Did nature change anything for you?

Priya

The kingfisher did. I used to reply to every message in seconds. Now I wait five minutes. I just watch the water.

Ram

And?

Priya

Half the problems solve themselves. And the other half, I answer better.

Ram

Sit still. Watch the water. Dive once.

Priya

And the sea. Every night, I write down three things I'm ready to let go of. Some nights, it's hard to find three. Some nights, I need a longer list.

Ram

Take it all in. Let some of it rise. Stay level.

Priya

And the turtle hatchling. That one stays with me. Some of my rules were old light. So I'm looking again at a few people I had already decided about.

Ram

The sea was always there. The lights were just louder.

Priya

Exactly.

Ram

You know my favourite moment of the whole season? A friend of mine lost his job this year. I sent him the episode on grass after fire.

Priya

What did he say?

Ram

He wrote back one line. The fire took the leaves. It never found the roots.… He started a new job last month.

Priya

That's the thing about these gurus. They don't stay in the book. They travel.

Ram

Like those spiky chaff flower seeds on my socks.

Priya

Exactly like that. They hitch a ride. And they grow wherever they land.

Ram

So, Priya. Nine Parts. Can you say it in one breath?

Priya

See clearly. Stay steady. Know the right time. Rise again. Build well. Stand together. Protect the young and the weak. Give freely. And notice the gift.

Ram

Wah. And all of it from a turtle, a tree, a little ant.

Priya

And the rain that fell on us both.

Ram

People keep asking me. Ram, the season is over. Where do I find the next guru?

Priya

That's the best part. The book gives us a simple method. And you can use it anywhere.

Ram

Tell them.

Priya

Stop long enough to look. Ask a question. Check what really happens. Find the turn, where it meets your life. And act, the same day.

Ram

Stop. Ask. Check. Turn. Act.

Priya

And please, check the facts. Nature writing is full of beautiful things that are not true. Trees that give oxygen all night. Moths in love with the flame. Lovely ideas. And wrong.

Ram

Arre, I have forwarded at least one of those.

Priya

We all have. If you can't check it, don't share it.

Ram

And once a week?

Priya

Find a lesson of your own. A pigeon on a ledge. A puddle drying in the sun. Then write your own Hey to it.

Ram

Okay, dosto. Before we go, a few small requests. From both of us.

Priya

First. Take the self-check at heynature.in. It points you to the three Parts you need most, right now.

Ram

Second. Download the periodic table of nature's lessons. All one hundred gurus on one page. Print it. Put it on your fridge. Or your office wall.

Priya

Third. Every lesson has its own short podcast, on its own page. Two minutes. One with your morning tea.

Ram

And fourth. The most important one. Share this episode. With one friend who needs it today.

Priya

Like the ant. Go back and tell. When you teach a lesson, you keep it.

Ram

Priya… is this really goodbye?

Priya

Only for season one. For a keen learner, nature has so much more to say. We've only just started listening.

Ram

So we'll be back soon. With season two. New gurus, hiding in plain sight.

Priya

And until then, the teachers don't go anywhere. The crow on the wall. The neem by the gate. They're still there. Waiting for you to look.

Ram

Thank you, Priya. For every story.

Priya

Thank you, Ram. For every promise you kept. And the ones you're still going to keep.

Ram

And thank you, dosto, for walking with us through season one. Keep looking. Keep asking. Keep sharing. Your next teacher is closer than you think.