Latest news with #Gulmohars
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Time of India
Indian flowers that remind us of cherry blossoms
Move over, Japan! India boasts its own stunning floral display, rivaling cherry blossoms. Gulmohars paint cities red and orange, while Amaltas showers golden blooms. Jacarandas offer lavender hues, and Palash sets forests ablaze. Tabebuias create pink canopies, especially in Bangalore, and Kachnar adds delicate charm. Experience India's magical spring with these vibrant flowering trees. When we hear the words cherry blossoms, Japan's dainty sakura trees are the first thing that comes to mind. Little do we know, however, that India also has its own floral treasures that are as beautiful and enchanting as cherry blossoms. Here's a glimpse at some of India's most breathtaking flowering trees that look like cherry blossoms. Gulmohar Gulmohar is known as the Flame Tree or Royal Poinciana, and it is among the most beautiful flowering trees of Indian urban areas. Its blood-red-orange flowers come in late spring, blanketing whole canopies and streets below with golden colors. Gulmohar trees are found right across India, from Delhi and Pune to Chennai and Kolkata. South Mumbai and Bangalore roads turn into blazing red channels during May and June. In Pondicherry, tree-lined roads remain abuzz with their colorful spectacle. Amaltas The Golden Shower Tree is a real summer pageant, which comes alive with long clusters of golden yellow blooms. They hang in a radiant chandelier and are believed to be auspicious in Indian mythology. Delhi, Chandigarh, and Jaipur are particularly renowned for having amaltas-lined roads. In South India, there is a sight to behold in Mysuru and Bengaluru. The best time is most often from late April to June. Jacaranda Popularly known as the "Neeli Gulmohar" or Blue Gulmohar, Jacaranda trees charm passersby with their lavender-blue trumpet-shaped flowers. Though less obvious than Gulmohar, they add a peaceful, ethereal touch to the cityscape. Bengaluru's Cubbon Park and Delhi's Lodhi Garden are top spots to see jacaranda in bloom, typically from March to May. You'll also find them in Shimla, Dehradun, and Mussoorie, where their color pops beautifully against the hills. Palaash A riot of reddish-orange flowers, the Palaash trees bloom in early spring. These flowers are referred to as Jungle ki Aag (fire of the forest) and bloom even before the leaves appear, giving the trees the appearance of being on fire. You will spot thick groves of palash in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The Khajuraho and Bandhavgarh forests are among the best spots to see them ablaze in February and March. Tabebuia Tabebuia trees, although South American in origin, have done wonderfully well on Indian soil. Their soft pink trumpet-shaped flowers are so dainty and striking that they are confused with cherry blossoms. Bengaluru is India's virtual "sakura capital," with roads like Cubbon Road and Lalbagh Park going soft pink during spring. Kerala's Trivandrum and Kochi, too, have pleasant avenues bordered by these trees, especially during February and March. Kachnar Kachnar trees embellish the Indian spring with orchid-like, pink, purple, and white flowers. The flowers are dainty, scented, and in clusters, adding poise to gardens and boulevards. Look out for Kachnar flowering from February to March in Delhi's parks, lakefront spots in Bhopal, and Lucknow's roads. It grows in Sikkim and the Himalayan foothills too, where it blends in with the natural surroundings. So the next time you yearn for cherry blossoms but can't make it to Japan, simply drive to your local park or botanical garden during spring or early summer. India's own floral wonders provide an equally magical experience. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Much ado about May, moods & mangoes
The start of this Summer seems as though a looming, leaden Cumulonimbus has swallowed half of the ripening sun. Summer's bright palettes appear to be muted and mellowed by stark shadows. The season of the sizzling sun heralds its own palettes. Political colours to botanical colours, street palettes to sporting hues. On the political canvas, from Pahalgam to the Pope's passing, Summer signalled a stark start. Black and grey look to be the palettes heralding the month of May. Take the Pope's funeral. In a world grappling with wars and terror, black, but naturally, mirrored the mood of the moment. Literally and figuratively. Melancholy moments Most heads of states stuck to customary black mourning couture. Trust Trump to stick out like a sore thumb there too and turn up instead in bizarre blue. The quintessential odd man out. The one place where blue was but befitting was on IPL sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi's shoulders. The curious case of 'When in Rome, Do Not Do As the Romans Do'. Mango moods Closer home, the start of summer is seeing a splash of orange. From the King's Day festivities at the Dutch embassy to the burst of orange on the streets. Mangoes making this season's debut on middle-class India's humble stage -- the thhele-wallahs and pheri-wallahs. The groggy Gulmohars fluttering open their eyelids from winter's sleep to kiss Summer with scarlet lips. The sea of orangy yellowness on the streets --- mangoes landing and lording it --- brings back memories of another day, another time. Childhood was a time when mangoes came not as a trickle, but as a pouring called petis. Childhood was a time when the King of Fruits was not so dear that only a handful made it into Big Basket or Blinkit's brown bag. Childhood was a bumpy bylane where half the fun and frolic lay in felling or stealing ambis from neighbours' trees, with weaponry made of pellets to pebbles. Childhood was a sprawling vehra where mangoes meant community bonding, over the peeling, pruning and pickling of ambis and aams. A community bonding as sweet as mango murabbas, as healthy as aam pannas. Childhood was a bountiful bageecha where the coming of a summer storm spelt holiday homework. 'Oh dear, all those luscious mangoes meeting an untimely death!' the matriarchs would roar a requiem louder than the storm upon surveying the 'king's' casualties. 'Get to work, bachchas, time for the holiday projects.' This meant grovelling in groves for storm's shaheeds, to grant them a new lease of life in chutneys and curries. For those who miss that sensory experience, that ritualism of revelry inherent in the unboxing of mango petis, the digital age promises newer narratives. Mango petis at the doorstep, thanks to many an App. The other day, an ad kept popping up on YouTube, like niggling neon screens at an IPL stadium. 'Get mangoes direct from farms, straight from farmers, minus middlemen,' the marketeer bloke bleated. All that needs to be done, the commercial chortled, is to download the App. The curious case of Digital India bridging the gap. Summer fury Orange ruled elsewhere, too. Alas, this had to do not with things mouth-lickin, but with a licking that spelt loss. Leaping, licking flames of fury consumed the culture-scape that is Dilli Haat. Brocades and Bhagalpuris of artisans from Farrukhabad to Bengal, precious pashminas to papier mache of Kashmiri craftsmen who had rebuilt lives and livelihoods after the exodus of the 1990s from the Valley, all turned to ghastly grey ashes in this sea of furious and fuming orange. What a sad commentary that fire extinguishers were scarcely in working condition and exit points stood clogged or closed. Summer's angry ochres to raging reds --- The united colours of loss, lament and livelihoods gutted 'n' gone. The furious case of there's no smoke without fire. chetnakeer@
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Flamboyant in bloom, Gulmohar gives hope
This morning, I noticed the streets in my city were red with Gulmohar petals and the treetops a fiery red. Within weeks, the Jacaranda seems to be doing the disappearing act – the dainty purple flowers giving way to the flamboyant display of orange-red blooms. The early morning breeze offers a soothing reprieve from the May heat with the melodious singing of the summer birds, sweet scent of flowers and the red flame thanks to the flowering trees, which are a treat to the eyes. Driving through the bustling lanes later in the day, one might just be able to ignore the rising temperatures the city is facing this summer. Between the traffic signals and the chaotic junctions are plumes of flaming Gulmohars. Discovered in the 19th century in Madagascar by botanist Wesnel Bojer, the Gulmohar is flamboyant when in bloom, as the world's most colourful tree. For several weeks in summer, the tree is covered by exuberant clusters of flame-red flowers, which on closer examination are striking: They have four spoon-shaped scarlet or orange-red petals and one upright slightly larger petal which is streaked and marked in yellow/white. The Gulmohar is naturalised in India and is widely grown as a street tree for its umbrella-like canopy and of course for its stunning flowers. Sporadic conversations discuss the travails of a dry spell and the fear of drought looming large. Ironical as it might sound, most civic and construction agencies are pleased as punch as the long dry period is not testing the drainage system and those involved in construction activities are able to continue their work without any hitch. One brief heavy shower and we will be back to our poor drainage woes and make visible the lack of arrangements and show our invisible infrastructure in poor light. With the clouds providing a glimmer of hope every now and then, and then blowing away under the gust of strong winds and the rains playing truant, it appears to reflect the current state of our country and where the political discourse is heading. But it is to be realised that the deeper the inherited malady, the longer it takes to set things right. The levels of decency have gone down abysmally and political propriety has been thrown to the winds. Every stratagem being peddled shreds the collective grief of the nation bare. While we grapple with all the shenanigans yet again, I do know for sure, there will be a bed of Gulmohar petals on the pavements once again tomorrow, bringing with them the faint flicker of hope and the freshness of a new dawn. After all, the Gulmohar tree, also known as Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant Tree, symbolises vibrancy, beauty, passion, and the essence of cultural heritage, particularly in India. Its fiery blooms are associated with inspiration, creativity, resilience, and even good luck and protection. Symbolism at its finest! rash69in@ The writer is a Panchkula-based freelance contributor
