Everything burned, but good people gave hope. In the “Gardens” after the post office, work is going on again / Article

We thought about the subtitle of this “Province” for a long time, because the overflow of emotions, as in this case, washes away logic, experience and taste. And then Harijs Beķeris simply wrote – “Colored hair and hopes”. This is what has been said about the mix of experiences, compassion, despair, perseverance, pain and resurrection feelings that, in my opinion, overwhelms every guest of the “Dāržinu” farm at the moment.

“Well, what, let’s go sow those unfortunate cabbages,” with a sad but deeply kind smile, the hostess Indra leads us deeper into the mess, which is slowly regaining the features of orderliness and composure. A month has passed since the fire at that time. The fire that took Indra and Andri everything they had worked for in ten years, leaving them with what was on their backs. It was a cold, unpleasant and windy day. Both got up, as usual, early in the morning, because Andri had to go with the seedlings to the market, and Indra had to sow cabbage. Having accompanied her husband on the way, Indra decided to take a moment to catch her breath before the big run of the day and calmly drink coffee.

Suddenly a strange noise was heard outside, Indra ran outside and realized that the whole house was already on fire. What happened next is as if wrapped in a fog, they called the tenant of the house with her son outside to save themselves, and then they waited for the fire brigade.

Five rescue teams arrived quite quickly, but the house could no longer be saved. One of the firefighters asked if there were any valuable documents inside and selflessly rushed in to take them out. Indra shakes her head sadly as she remembers: “The guys did everything they could. Just imagine, there at the end of the house and in the big greenhouse where the fire started, there were thousands of plants, each in its own plastic pot. There was such a huge cloud of black, poisonous smoke that the daughter could see it from distant Palsmane.”

Two rescuers were also injured in the fire, for which Indra has great experiences and a huge thank you to the people who do unimaginably important, dangerous and so underappreciated work.

“The feelings of that moment are indescribable,” we obeyed, Indra wiped away her tears, “for the third time in our lives, we have to start from scratch, because we have nothing left. I don’t understand what and how to do, and whether to do anything anymore…” The fire took everything – seedlings prepared for the market – 3,000 widows, 1,500 lilies, six-year-old bilberry seedlings, begonias, hibiscus, scallions grown and packaged specially for the empty winter period, potato seeds. Everything.

Indra does not hide that the hands were down and the feeling of imminent surrender was approaching. Then came the news that one batch of young seedlings ordered was delayed and arrived a day later. With an acquaintance, plant breeder Aigaras Sniedzanas from Ranka, they went to Riga to look for seedlings, and Andris wondered aloud where to put all that treasure, because there is no longer a house or a greenhouse. Then Aigars offered without thinking that he can take the seedlings to himself, the semi-greenhouse is still free, he needs to fuel his own seedlings as well, why not help people in distress?

“That’s where the rescue operation took place,” Aigars laughs deliciously and leads us into a substantial greenhouse he built himself, where everything is already flourishing, blooming, humming and smelling. Now all the greenhouses are full of self-grown seedlings, but at that time we had to squeeze. Spring has come so slowly that I had to get up every night and fire, but the seedlings had to do that already. That’s how he nurtured the beginning of a new life for Indra and Andra for a month, who have now returned home – in “Gardens”. “I just wanted to help,” Aigars answers without hesitation,

“how can you leave people in misery who have lost everything. For them at that time my help was more important than the 100 euros I would have given.”

When the big accident happened, Zausku’s daughter Monta posted a request on social networks to help her parents and support them as much as possible. The response was incredible. The very next day, Mārtiņas Rauskas’ car with a trailer, the owner of the Mālpils greenhouse manufacturer “RalfHouse”, rolled into the yard of the farm. He greeted the owners and opened the trailer: “Well, we’ll have to work ourselves.” The trailer contained the frame of a huge greenhouse. Andris wept with happiness, because he had wanted such a greenhouse for years, but never had enough free funds, so they built it themselves, as best they could. Once Andris was even interested in buying the greenhouse of his dreams, and when the accident happened, Mārtiņš remembered the owner’s wishes, loaded the finished plant house into the car and went to Launkalni. Then, as if by magic, 12 young guys arrived at the farm – a logging crew that offered any help. So the new greenhouse has been built, and now it houses the seedlings selected by Ranka Aigars.

While we were on our way to Ranka to meet with Aigara, the Zauskus family’s farm has already started a lot of activity – a new greenhouse is being built again. The same Mārtiņš from Mālpils donated another greenhouse, only this time two professional erectors came with them, who work so coordinated, professionally and quickly that the operators almost missed putting up the huge film. Indra, going about his never-ending daily tasks, stops every now and then, watches in disbelief how in a few hours a new, vast greenhouse rises from an empty place in the sky, and again sheds silent tears of happiness and gratitude. “I would never have thought that there were so many good people in Latvia,” she says, “only they forced us to get up and do it again, because we mustn’t let our many supporters down. We have to get up and do it. And everything will be fine again.”

The empathy, support and help of fellow human beings is truly diverse, and Indra never stops thanking: “Everyone shares what they have, which is a huge amount in such a difficult moment. It gives strength not to give up”. The Smiltenes cafe “Three peppers and cakes” feeds the family with a warm lunch every day, the “Brūzis” hotel has offered overnight accommodation to the homeless family, a former student of the Smiltenes technical school has sent 50 bush blueberry seedlings from Liepāja to the burned place.

The congregation of the nearby Palsmanes Lutheran Church organized a charity concert to support the family, where they collected donations. But not only this one concert, the head of the church Inita Zaharchuk says that people, upon learning about what happened, started to simply bring to the church and leave everything they could – plants in pots, seeds, household items: “Perhaps this is exactly the mission of the church – to invite people to you to support those who are in trouble. Because God teaches us – help, forgive, give a hand. Then we give a hand so that it is easier for them to get up and do it.”

The wholesaler “SilJa” selected a list of previously ordered, but burnt plants from the catalogs and sent them together with a roll of film, tools, work shoes, seeds. “They told us to take what we need,” Indra feels a little confused by people’s generosity, “I answered that we don’t have anything to pay with at the moment. And we have never asked anyone for anything, we do it ourselves. But then people said this is the moment I have to get and accept this help anyway. I just don’t know how to say thank you to everyone.”

Well, the hopes of Launkalne’s “Gardens” have been overshadowed by the terrible shadow of dyes, Andras’s pride – lilies, are once again stretching their pink beaks towards the sun in pots. Also, instead of burnt potatoes, seed potatoes provided by benefactors are warming up in the sun and getting ready to lie down in the furrows. There will also be something to work with, although it is difficult for Andra sūri, the tractor bought on the blood of a quick loan remained in the fire. The neighbor has promised to make amends and until a new tool is bought, Andris will be a work horse in the farm. To say goodbye, Indra comes out of the greenhouse with a beautiful sunflower in a pot. They give them to all well-wishers and friends who support them in a difficult time. Well, we are also included in their group, and we are going home with Indra and Andra’s invitation to come in the summer, when everything here will be in one flower again. And it will be. I believe and hope.

Launkalne was visited by director Dace Kokle, journalist Harijs Beķeris, cameramen Jānis Goldbergs and Kārlis Kokle, lighting designer Juris Lasinskis.

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