While I captured this video of my friend the Gul Mohar tree, which is now blooming again with fresh leaves, after a long dry spell of autumn and winter.
I also take this opportunity to share one of interesting anecdote from my childhood related to it.
My association with Gul Mohar goes back to my childhood , many moons ago, one hot afternoon around mid May ,as a student of 4th standard ,was quickly rushing towards my school library , freeing myself from my mother’s grip ,who held my hand ,as I was too excited about purchase of my new academic syllabus, for me every new academic year was like a new beginning, with a new me, and in bliss with the idea that I was growing, even though I hardly understood the real meaning of personal growth .
As I reached the library, it was a long queue of both parents and excited kids like me busy purchasing the books for the upcoming academic year, it took good one hour before our turn ,however, the wait was worth it, and on my way back home, my excitement knew no bounds , the first thing I did was to rip open my pack and my eye fell on my English prose reader, with a print of a huge Gul Mohar tree spread across both sides of the textbook, this was the first time I saw my friend, and by the side it was written “Gul Mohar Series”, not able to contain my curiosity, I asked my mother, are we going to study all about this tree in my English lessons ? she replied with a smile that it was just a title and the title was the name of the same tree printed out there.
I looked at it for some time and asked her again, have I seen it in reality, on this she replied, that we had one right outside our school underneath which I wait endlessly for her to pick me up after school and adjacent to our lane where we resided.
I rushed outside in the lane to see it in its real form, and, yes, it was the same tree, and I found it much more vibrant, huge and beautiful than my text print with flowers blooming, like a huge bouquet presented by nature without a vase
My Dear friend Gul Mohar is also popularly known as “Sankesar” in Urdu/ Hindi, a very common tree found almost everywhere, especially in and around residential colonies, and parks maintained by the municipal corporation. I find this tree a manifestation of a no-nonsense type personality, simple and a giver, it is one of those plant species which perhaps need zero maintenance, thriving and surviving the ever-changing dynamics of Indian weather.
Not just that it shields its visitors from blazing heat and sunshine, it sometimes also honors your presence with a shower of those tiny petals, if you happen to spend some time beneath it!
The flowers are also called fire flames since the petals have an intricate design and put together they represent burning flames, these flowers come in a variant of bright Orange and Yellow colors.
So next time if you happen to meet my friend or pass through a Gul Mohar tree, stop by either to protect yourself from heat and if you get lucky, you may also experience a flower shower, a sign of your new found friendship 🙂 leaving you with fond memories to cherish by.
Botanical name : Delonix Regia
