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A GULMOHAR STORY




I have stayed in government accommodations ( read : government quarters ) for more than half of my life. And there are always Gulmohar trees around them.

Come summer, their dazzling colours enamour, enchant and invite you. The other months of the year – they are just there. Deep green. Silent. Overlooking. At times majestic.

.As a child I was fascinated by its buds. The sepals – beautiful green on the outside , glimmering magenta inside – very much like a woman. Calm demeanour on the exterior and a seething volcano inside. I used to put those utterly smooth things on my nails – like  claws. At times, I still do that. The bud opens….carrying  a bounty within it Waging battles with its pollen tubes fascinate me.

At the peak of summers, these brightran oge flowers fall and the bloom is just everywhere ….. a  feast for the senses. The fruits disappoint me though. Green pods eventually turning dark . But I tend to ignore them. I love to walk on paths where these wonderful flowers fall, just after a sudden downpour.   

My school had a large, ancient Gulmohar tree. We used to play around it while we were in primary classes. It was the centre-stage of our crazy games , mass drills, parades, passionate fights and a host of  other activities. It fell prey to a terrible storm that shook all the vegetation in the campus. The Gulmohar didn’t die immediately. In a couple of years , it withered. Then turned into a stump. With time, it lost its existence.

 Today I often refer the place as “where there was the Gulmohar” – still clenching to the memory of a tree where many of my most pleasant memories were made.

Comments

Thousif Raza said…
its beautiful i love the way u compared the flowers to a woman... loved it...

n this punk is back on the blogging track ;)

take care n keep writing :)
Rià said…
Aah its been ages since i saw a Gulmohar tree. Lovely post dear.
Phoenix said…
very wordsworth-esq ..... beautifully written... you should read the casurina tree by toru dutt!! its beautiful but not half as potent as then one! :)
Bikram said…
reminds me of our home .. back home :) .. the gulmohar trees will be at full bloom at this time of the year ... orange - yellow everywhere ..
Bikram's
Anwesa said…
@Chocolate Lover,
Thank you !
Anwesa said…
@Thousif,
Yeah,I saw your post. I guess I'll be a lil' more blessed now ( blessed to read your posts I mean :P )
Anwesa said…
@Ria,

Hmmm....Gulmohur is so very India. You can see the picture here though.
Anwesa said…
@Phoenix,
I like that word - "Wordsworth-esq".
I've read Toru's Casuarina too. ICSE, remember ? And it way more intense than this.
Anwesa said…
@Bikramjit,

Yes, they are. I see them everyday.

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