The Hyacinth

My grandmother's garden in old Chennai bloomed despite neglect. She tended hyacinths like secrets, whispering prayers between their purple petals. When she passed, I inherited her legacy and her debts. Desperate, I discovered blockchain rewards. Daily crypto earnings seemed spectacularly gargantuan compared to my modest income. Yet something felt hollow earning from screens while her garden withered. One morning, I sold my digital assets and returned home to Srivilliputhur, my ancestral village. I replanted those hyacinths, posting progress online. Communities emerged—strangers became neighbors, sharing heritage seeds and stories. True wealth, I learned, grows in shared soil.