Jackie Shroff on his mother's flowers and his bond with nature
Synopsis
Jackie Shroff traces his environmental consciousness not to activism, but to a 10-by-10 room in Mumbai where his mother grew roses on a tiny balcony. From that image of beauty and thorns, and later the loss of his brother to the earth, Shroff has arrived at an urgent, personal plea: protect topsoil before the world goes quiet on it again.
Key Takeaways
Jackie Shroff says his love for nature began watching his mother grow roses on a small balcony of their 10-by-10 room in Mumbai .
He drew an early life lesson from the rose and its thorns — that pain and happiness coexist.
The loss of his brother deepened his emotional bond with the soil, which he describes as a source of comfort and responsibility.
Shroff has called for greater awareness about topsoil depletion , warning that public conversation on the issue has faded.
He urged every child to understand that topsoil is the foundation of the world's food supply.
Veteran actor Jackie Shroff has opened up about how his deep connection with nature was rooted in a childhood memory — watching his mother tend to roses on a tiny balcony of their modest Mumbai home. The actor, known for films such as Karma and Yaadein, reflected on how those early observations shaped his understanding of life, loss, and the earth itself.
Roses, Thorns, and an Early Life Lesson
Shroff recalled the cramped yet vibrant space his mother created within their 10-by-10 room. 'My mother was very fond of flowers. In a 10-by-10 room, there was a tiny little balcony. She used to grow roses there, and she loved those roses. I could see the thorns too. I could see the roses too. So, I saw all these things there and I understood that there is pain as well as happiness,' he said.
The memory, simple as it was, left a lasting imprint. For Shroff, the co-existence of the rose and its thorn became an early metaphor for the duality of human experience — joy and suffering inseparable from one another.
Grief, Loss, and Becoming Friends with the Soil
Shroff also spoke about a more personal dimension of his relationship with the earth — the loss of his brother. 'I became friends with the soil. I understood that my mother would water it, give it a little sunlight… Then I realised, as I grew older, where did my brother go? He went into the soil. And when I understood that he had gone into the soil, I started becoming friends with the soil. I started loving my soil,' he said.
This emotional reckoning, he explained, evolved into a broader environmental concern. Shroff said he now worries about the depletion of topsoil — the thin, fertile layer of earth that sustains agriculture and, by extension, human life. 'I want to save topsoil, which is not there anymore. There was so much talk about topsoil for a while, and then everyone became quiet about it,' he added.
A Call to Respect the Earth
Shroff urged parents and educators to make children aware of the fragility of topsoil. 'Every child should know that topsoil is the only thing that gives us food. Beneath it, there is all kinds of soil, but there is topsoil. How much topsoil do we actually have? Does anyone know? Look it up sometime in a book and see how much topsoil is actually left on Earth,' he said.
He framed his appeal in terms of everyday human behaviour. 'We keep walking around, enjoying ourselves on this Earth, but we need to respect the Earth. We keep trampling it under our feet as we walk, but look at that Mother Earth. She is protecting us,' Shroff said.
His Closing Message: Live Well, Tread Lightly
Concluding his remarks, Shroff struck a philosophical note. 'When I go into the ground, everything will become part of the soil. So, lets be friends with the soil. Enjoy your life, but do not enjoy life by doing things that you are not supposed to do. Do a little pleasure, a little dance, a little fun, spend time with friends, have little conversations about things — but focus more on what you guys are doing with,' he said.
The actor's reflections come at a time when soil degradation and topsoil loss are increasingly cited by environmental scientists as a slow-moving crisis with serious implications for global food security.
Point of View
But the topsoil thread is worth taking seriously. Global estimates suggest the world has lost roughly half its topsoil in the last 150 years, and India's agricultural states are among the most affected. That a mainstream Bollywood actor is raising it — even if briefly — signals that the issue is edging into popular consciousness. The risk is that it stays exactly there: a touching soundbite rather than a sustained conversation. Shroff himself notes that everyone became quiet about topsoil after an initial burst of attention, and whether this changes that remains to be seen.
NationPress
2 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Jackie Shroff say about his mother and flowers?
Jackie Shroff recalled that his mother grew roses on a tiny balcony of their modest 10-by-10 room in Mumbai. He said watching the roses and their thorns together taught him that pain and happiness exist side by side in life.
Why does Jackie Shroff feel a bond with the soil?
Shroff said his bond with the soil deepened after the death of his brother, whom he described as having gone into the soil. That personal loss transformed into a broader love for the earth and a concern for its health.
What is Jackie Shroff's message about topsoil?
Shroff urged people, especially children, to understand that topsoil is the only layer of earth that produces food. He expressed concern that public awareness about topsoil depletion has faded after an initial period of attention.
Which films is Jackie Shroff known for?
Jackie Shroff is a veteran Bollywood actor known for films including Karma and Yaadein, among many others spanning four decades in Indian cinema.
Why does topsoil matter according to Jackie Shroff?
Shroff said topsoil is the foundation of the world's food supply and urged people to look up how much topsoil remains on Earth. He argued that humans must respect the ground they walk on rather than taking it for granted.
