Flowers

No human being in this world would dislike flowers. However tired I go home, I used to have a shower and stand before the Jasmine plant and smell the fragrance. Oh...what a lovely smell. Early mornings, was a lovely sight at Chennai, India ( I did not mean the crowded city) but life in suburbs. The sunrise and flowers blooming used to add beauty to the early mornings.I always thought whether Sun and flowers were friends. If at all, they could speak, what kind of conversations could happen between them.

Flowers in summer may say, "You were very rude yesterday. Don't stare at our kids. Yesterday millions of our relatives had a early death because of you."

The Sun may laugh and reply.." Look I could not do my duty well. Certain places like UK I hardly reach... and they are very mischievous and dull. Try to find out from your relatives, how much they suffer without me."

Anyhow we all know what happens when it is very hot. Still flowers add colours wherever they are. In old Tamil Literature, flower was used by many poets to describe women or young girl. Things happening rarely, were referred as 'Kurinji'. Even today most of the cine songs, have descriptions about flowers. I love them a lot. Many hardly understand that flowers are beautiful only as long as they remain on the plants. I never like to pluck flowers from plants.

In Chennai, early morning, people with walking sticks walk near our compound wall, to pluck those beautiful flowers which we would have struggled to grow. We would have toiled hard, for the plant to reach the flowering stage. Even before we could enjoy the beauty of the flower, there will be someone in the mornings near the compound wall, to reach those flowers with their sticks. I have hated it in those days and have even spoken to such people to have plants in their house, grow them, and then use them. I consider it as an indecent act, of plucking flowers without asking the owner's permission. The common excuse is " It is all for worship". Of late, people have become crazy, in worshiping 'Annai' or 'Mother'. I am not against any God or any Worship. But who started all these. Why do they need to pluck it from someone's garden. If you have any prayer, buy flowers from market and perform them. I do not think any God would have advised to bring flowers from someone's garden, to perform pooja. I am not sure whether this habbit exist in other states. But this is a silly act to be condemned. I hate people doing it especially without asking the owner's permission.

A plant without flowers will lose its beauty within minutes. We had a plenty of Bouganvilla near our fence, and I loved them when they were of different colours. Unfortunately, some worshippers eyed them and they started plucking them. At one stage, I hated having plants because I could never see the flowers. In UK, we do not have that problem. We can see flowers only in spring and summer in our gardens.

I heard about a flower show happening in a town nearby and visited couple of times. It is a great show. Two years before the flower show was conducted for the 116th year (I think so) and the record was published in Guinness book. I was happy that I made it to the flower show during that year. Unfortunately I do not have those pictures, since they are back at home in India. The pictures I have published in this post were taken by me, at few places in UK.

Hope I visit some flower shows this year.