I spent the first sixteen years of my life in a house with a huge verandah overlooking a Gulmohar tree. Twice every year, once during the summers and once during the winters, the tree would burst into cheerful red flames. And the stone-grey ground below would be dotted with red petals, or occasionally even the whole flower.
I subsequently moved in to a new house. Unlike my old colony, which could only boast of limited greenery, my new apartment had a huge lawn with an assortment of trees. For some reason, though, there wasn’t a Gulmohar in sight.
I did not realize how much I missed the tree till I found myself staring at Gulmohars every time I passed them. It took me a while to understand that subconsciously, the Gulmohar was actually a link back to my childhood.
Even today, when I pass by a Gulmohar tree, I experience an emotion that is fairly overwhelming. Sometimes, I pick up a stray flower, bring it home, and keep it in a water-bowl. Otherwise, I simply look at the tree in all its red glory and smile, as if between us, we share a little secret.
I love the Gulmohar flower – its energetic red colour, the one white petal with little red dots that stands out proudly, the tiny red petals with their uniform yellow borders. I think it tries to tell us to be vibrant, unique and colourful always :-)
Not all memories are in black and white and sepia. Some are a cheerful red too!
Much Love,
Me.
8 Words Of Wisdom (WOWs):
Cheerful red ha...some are flame orange in color as well! Thanks for sharing... :D
=) Sweet.
Oh my house does not have a gulmohar, but it has a majestic weeping willow that has grown with me. I'll be moving out for much time, and your post reminded me that it won't be there where I am headed. The only solace is, that I'll be back here, again and again. :)
Beautiful post, specially the last line.
Cheers,
Blasphemous Aesthete
~ Niki...I prefer red over orange :)
~ Anshul...Good to know I aided realisation in a way :) And thank you...you always make me feel as if you wait for my posts :)
well written ... we will wait for more such memories ... all the best.
~ Sagar...thank you for all the encouragement :)
neem chameli does the very same thing to me. I hear you. nothing quite connects you instantly to your memories like flowers do. They make the memories seem so fresh, just like themselves.
Glad to find your blog too, Mishree.. keep'em coming! :)
Your post brought a lump to my throat as well as childhood memories too. I too love gulmohar trees and and there used to be many in the area we lived in.
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