Colors of India!: February...it's springtime!

The month got off to a good start at a personal level, with a 3 day Pranic healing retreat.....contrary to common perception, it was not a grim affair, with plenty of fun-dancing-feasting-shopping (as the photos testify!)---of course with intensive spiritual practises and learning.

Spring in India is called Basant, and Basant Panchmi or Saraswati Puja is the festival celebrating the Goddess of Learning. People traditionally wear yellow (to signify the colors of spring), offer prayers and flowers and share a meal of "khichdi"(rice and lentils, and other accompaniments). Children are initiated into reading and writing by the priest, who makes them trace a sacred letter on a slate (which is possibly becoming obsolete now!)

So it is the time of the year to soak in the colors and fragrances of the bewildering varieties of flowers at the Mughul gardens, against the backdrop of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India. The gardens are open to the public from mid February for a month, but having learnt from experience that the famed tulips last for a very short while, we were there within a day of the opening!

The first stop is at the herbal garden, which houses medicinal plants like tulsi, brahmi, aloe vera and peppermint. Next comes the bonsai garden, which I personally do not like because of the unnatural way it's grown. Walking past it, one hears strains of patriotic songs, to the rhythm of which musical fountains enthral visitors. Further ahead, a left turn suddenly opens up a vista of color and symmetry, with the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the background. The national flag fluttering on top is a reminder that the President is at home! (it's taken down when he is travelling).

Walk past rows of tulips---red, red and white, purple, yellow;

Designed along the lines of the famed gardens of the Mughuls, there are fountains and narrow waterways intersecting each other.

After a round of the main part of the gardens, walk out through the rose garden, with exotic varieties on either side---admire the Granada, while the wall is ablaze with Golden shower creepers.

A sudden breathtaking view awaits as one walks out of the rose garden to the borders of the Circular garden, ablaze with beds of different colors. The large marigolds at the exit are a brilliant gold.

The last stop is the spritual garden, named because the trees and plants here are mentioned in the religious scriptures. There is the Asoka (mentioned in the Ramayana), fig,

(opposite the garden is a stall showcasing the fruits and vegetables grown organically in the Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens, as well as the essential oils distilled from the herbs grown there.)

As we leave the gardens, planning to return soon, we see lines of school students walking in.....one just hopes that these youngsters will learn to appreciate and conserve the rich natural heritage that is ours, and which city dwellers are deprived of.