Saturday, November 26, 2011

Flowers are one of the most beautiful creations of God. Some smell good, some others are known for their colours while a few have both. Some grow in our gardens and the wild ones prefer to grow in the forest. Roses, tube roses, merrigold, jasmine are some flowers that are commonly available in the local market. While a rose beautifies a room, a tube-rose garland adorns an idol in the temple; a merrigold is offered to our God at home and a jasmine garland tucked in a woman's hair makes a morning refreshing. A Jaba or a Hibiscus blooms in almost every garden in Bengal. This particular flower which I am talking here comes in different colours like bright red, deep yellow, soft pink and white which is so very rare. There are a wide variety of flowers which have no English names because they are found only in the villages of Bengal. A few of these are offered to Lord Shiva. Flowers which have long stems like Gladiolus and Roses are always kept in a bucket of water in a flower shop. The merrigold garlands are always kept separately from the other flowers by the florist. Violet Orchids which are like creepers are available in a local shop for the last 2 years. The flower-seller says this orchid is a rare variety. A flower which is soft in texture and has rich colourful petals is Bouganvelia which not only grows in a garden but also in an earthen pot. A Tagor is a small flower which has delicate white petals and a thin stem. The fragrance of a Gandharaj is mesmerising. There is a very very different kind of a flower which cannot be plucked easily from the tree. It's known as Kadamba or popularly called a Kadam. This flower is like a spongish orange-shaped ball which has 3-inch-long needle like petals covering it all over. It is said that Lord Krishna loved the smell of Kadamba and he used to sit on the branch of that tree during Jhulan festival in West Bengal.



















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