Day 3. Somreeta

The Parijaat.

I first saw the parijaat flowers when I had been to my native village near Udupi, when I was 6 or 7 yrs of age.... at my father's home.

A typcal , beautiful house, with the red Manglorean tiles, two pinkish red concrete benches on the outside of the house. As one entered the house on two sides were two raised platfoms .. ahead of those was the aangan.

In the aangan was the tulsi vrindavan, And on the edge of the vrindavan, I saw a neat row of orange stalks. I moved in closer to have a better view and I picked one, only to realize that it was a flower with a orange stalk.

I remember being very excited when I saw it and I remember asking my grandmother about it. ' Paarijaat' she had said.

My next meeting with the flower was when i was in school. 5th or 6th std., in a Marathi poem or a song.. 'टप टप पडती अंगावरती प्राजक्ताचे सडे ! Visualisation is a strength with me, and I imagined myself, a young girl, standing under a Parijat tree, looking upwards , twirling, with the tree showering me with the flowers.

When I was in still in school... probably in 8th or 9th I had picked out a a book from my dad's book rack. It was a collection of short stories. I do not remember the name of the book, nor the name of the author (Bengali author) , nor the name of any story. But it had stories from Bengal.

I remember 3 words from that book. Maa go, Thakurbo and Shiuli.

While reading a book, I become the protagonist. It is me living that character.. it's my story... And of one story, I have evocative memories... of a child running through the fields, on a cold misty morning, cutting a path through the tall grass with her hands... .running ... and the fragrance of the shiuli.

It was only with the arrival of the internet at home, that I 'searched' for Shiuli .. and the search returned - The Paarijaat.

Post the shaadi, the parents-in-law, visited us one summer. Me and the husband led busy lives then - rushing to work in the morning, returning home, cooking,, clearing. The weekends were for catching up on sleep.

One day, I saw my father-in-law standing at the ghar ka mandir (which was one compartment in the row of kitchen cupboards). He was placing some flowers.. When he moved away, I saw a very familiar sight. Orange stalks in a row. Probably it is a Udupi thing, placing the flowers, so )

Now that I knew what it was, I only asked him where he had found those. And his reply - ' 5 minutes walk down from your building' . It was a 'chullu bhar paani mein doob jaaoon' kind of a moment. So close, and I had not taken note of my surroundings. I walked past that tree twice a day, everyday.. and I had not noticed it !

And so it remained ... a wish .. a longing,, for a parijat plant.. in my window. in my balcony, which would flower, spread the delicate fragrance into my home...

Life happened and I forgot about it.

The lock down of last year made us ..ie me.. view life differently. We had planned to renovate our home and I had decided that once that is done, I will bring the many plants from my wish list, into my home .

At that time the mind and the heart chimed together - kaal karey so aaj karr'. ... kal kisne dekha hai... yadaaaa yadaaaa..

And after many many conversations with the local nursery owner, the parijaat came home one night. it was about a foot and a half tall.. and guess what.. it had a flower..and 2 buds.

I welcomed the plant home.

I am a nocturnal person... at my active best, post 11 pm. As I was pottering around the house, I smelt it.. the fragrance.. aaahhhhaaah! I dislike the phrase 'happy dance' , but believe me, I did some version of it. As also calling up the sister and showing it to her ..clicking many pictures and posting it to the few who knew about my love for the flower. I am also crazy about the fragrant yellow champa, rajnigandha , baby pink carnations, white and purple gladioli, mogra gajra and a string of surangi...Just saying ! .

The flower wilted the next day but the 2 buds bloomed on night 3. After that the husband noticed that the leaves were shriveling and on checking he found an infestation. A white feathery infestation on the stalks..branches, and white patches on the backside of the leaves. We were inexperienced plant parents, we did not know how to stop its spread. The nursery owner advised a spray of neem oil. We tried that. He asked us to trim the plant.. we did that. '

Today about 6 months later, one dried stick and one dried leaf is all that remains of my dear paarijaat.

I am not very keen on acquiring a new one, and I don't beat myself up about not being able to grow and sustain a healthy plant.

I try.

The Parijaat is too deep rooted an attraction. And now sometimes I feel it is good that the yearning remains in the heart. Makes me long for it.. Hazaaron khwaaishein hain aisi.... har ek poori hui, toh kyaa mazaa.. some small, very personal desires.like this one ... are worth yearning for.. waiting for....precious that they are..

In the meanwhile.. that is a good two years ago, I made one more of my Parijaat dreams come true......The टप टप पडती अंगावरती प्राजक्ताचे सडे

How?... dekho dekho..

 

 

 

 

Day 3. Somreeta

The Parijaat.

I first saw the parijaat flowers when I had been to my native village near Udupi, when I was 6 or 7 yrs of age.... at my father's home.

A typcal , beautiful house, with the red Manglorean tiles, two pinkish red concrete benches on the outside of the house. As one entered the house on two sides were two raised platfoms .. ahead of those was the aangan.

In the aangan was the tulsi vrindavan, And on the edge of the vrindavan, I saw a neat row of orange stalks. I moved in closer to have a better view and I picked one, only to realize that it was a flower with a orange stalk.

I remember being very excited when I saw it and I remember asking my grandmother about it. ' Paarijaat' she had said.

My next meeting with the flower was when i was in school. 5th or 6th std., in a Marathi poem or a song.. 'टप टप पडती अंगावरती प्राजक्ताचे सडे ! Visualisation is a strength with me, and I imagined myself, a young girl, standing under a Parijat tree, looking upwards , twirling, with the tree showering me with the flowers.

When I was in still in school... probably in 8th or 9th I had picked out a a book from my dad's book rack. It was a collection of short stories. I do not remember the name of the book, nor the name of the author (Bengali author) , nor the name of any story. But it had stories from Bengal.

I remember 3 words from that book. Maa go, Thakurbo and Shiuli.

While reading a book, I become the protagonist. It is me living that character.. it's my story... And of one story, I have evocative memories... of a child running through the fields, on a cold misty morning, cutting a path through the tall grass with her hands... .running ... and the fragrance of the shiuli.

It was only with the arrival of the internet at home, that I 'searched' for Shiuli .. and the search returned - The Paarijaat.

Post the shaadi, the parents-in-law, visited us one summer. Me and the husband led busy lives then - rushing to work in the morning, returning home, cooking,, clearing. The weekends were for catching up on sleep.

One day, I saw my father-in-law standing at the ghar ka mandir (which was one compartment in the row of kitchen cupboards). He was placing some flowers.. When he moved away, I saw a very familiar sight. Orange stalks in a row. Probably it is a Udupi thing, placing the flowers, so )

Now that I knew what it was, I only asked him where he had found those. And his reply - ' 5 minutes walk down from your building' . It was a 'chullu bhar paani mein doob jaaoon' kind of a moment. So close, and I had not taken note of my surroundings. I walked past that tree twice a day, everyday.. and I had not noticed it !

And so it remained ... a wish .. a longing,, for a parijat plant.. in my window. in my balcony, which would flower, spread the delicate fragrance into my home...

Life happened and I forgot about it.

The lock down of last year made us ..ie me.. view life differently. We had planned to renovate our home and I had decided that once that is done, I will bring the many plants from my wish list, into my home .

At that time the mind and the heart chimed together - kaal karey so aaj karr'. ... kal kisne dekha hai... yadaaaa yadaaaa..

And after many many conversations with the local nursery owner, the parijaat came home one night. it was about a foot and a half tall.. and guess what.. it had a flower..and 2 buds.

I welcomed the plant home.

I am a nocturnal person... at my active best, post 11 pm. As I was pottering around the house, I smelt it.. the fragrance.. aaahhhhaaah! I dislike the phrase 'happy dance' , but believe me, I did some version of it. As also calling up the sister and showing it to her ..clicking many pictures and posting it to the few who knew about my love for the flower. I am also crazy about the fragrant yellow champa, rajnigandha , baby pink carnations, white and purple gladioli, mogra gajra and a string of surangi...Just saying ! .

The flower wilted the next day but the 2 buds bloomed on night 3. After that the husband noticed that the leaves were shriveling and on checking he found an infestation. A white feathery infestation on the stalks..branches, and white patches on the backside of the leaves. We were inexperienced plant parents, we did not know how to stop its spread. The nursery owner advised a spray of neem oil. We tried that. He asked us to trim the plant.. we did that. '

Today about 6 months later, one dried stick and one dried leaf is all that remains of my dear paarijaat.

I am not very keen on acquiring a new one, and I don't beat myself up about not being able to grow and sustain a healthy plant.

I try.

The Parijaat is too deep rooted an attraction. And now sometimes I feel it is good that the yearning remains in the heart. Makes me long for it.. Hazaaron khwaaishein hain aisi.... har ek poori hui, toh kyaa mazaa.. some small, very personal desires.like this one ... are worth yearning for.. waiting for....precious that they are..

In the meanwhile.. that is a good two years ago, I made one more of my Parijaat dreams come true......The टप टप पडती अंगावरती प्राजक्ताचे सडे

How?... dekho dekho..

 

 

 

Day 3. Somreeta

The Parijaat.

I first saw the parijaat flowers when I had been to my native village near Udupi, when I was 6 or 7 yrs of age.... at my father's home.

A typcal , beautiful house, with the red Manglorean tiles, two pinkish red concrete benches on the outside of the house. As one entered the house on two sides were two raised platfoms .. ahead of those was the aangan.

In the aangan was the tulsi vrindavan, And on the edge of the vrindavan, I saw a neat row of orange stalks. I moved in closer to have a better view and I picked one, only to realize that it was a flower with a orange stalk.

I remember being very excited when I saw it and I remember asking my grandmother about it. ' Paarijaat' she had said.

My next meeting with the flower was when i was in school. 5th or 6th std., in a Marathi poem or a song.. 'टप टप पडती अंगावरती प्राजक्ताचे सडे ! Visualisation is a strength with me, and I imagined myself, a young girl, standing under a Parijat tree, looking upwards , twirling, with the tree showering me with the flowers.

When I was in still in school... probably in 8th or 9th I had picked out a a book from my dad's book rack. It was a collection of short stories. I do not remember the name of the book, nor the name of the author (Bengali author) , nor the name of any story. But it had stories from Bengal.

I remember 3 words from that book. Maa go, Thakurbo and Shiuli.

While reading a book, I become the protagonist. It is me living that character.. it's my story... And of one story, I have evocative memories... of a child running through the fields, on a cold misty morning, cutting a path through the tall grass with her hands... .running ... and the fragrance of the shiuli.

It was only with the arrival of the internet at home, that I 'searched' for Shiuli .. and the search returned - The Paarijaat.

Post the shaadi, the parents-in-law, visited us one summer. Me and the husband led busy lives then - rushing to work in the morning, returning home, cooking,, clearing. The weekends were for catching up on sleep.

One day, I saw my father-in-law standing at the ghar ka mandir (which was one compartment in the row of kitchen cupboards). He was placing some flowers.. When he moved away, I saw a very familiar sight. Orange stalks in a row. Probably it is a Udupi thing, placing the flowers, so )

Now that I knew what it was, I only asked him where he had found those. And his reply - ' 5 minutes walk down from your building' . It was a 'chullu bhar paani mein doob jaaoon' kind of a moment. So close, and I had not taken note of my surroundings. I walked past that tree twice a day, everyday.. and I had not noticed it !

And so it remained ... a wish .. a longing,, for a parijat plant.. in my window. in my balcony, which would flower, spread the delicate fragrance into my home...

Life happened and I forgot about it.

The lock down of last year made us ..ie me.. view life differently. We had planned to renovate our home and I had decided that once that is done, I will bring the many plants from my wish list, into my home .

At that time the mind and the heart chimed together - kaal karey so aaj karr'. ... kal kisne dekha hai... yadaaaa yadaaaa..

And after many many conversations with the local nursery owner, the parijaat came home one night. it was about a foot and a half tall.. and guess what.. it had a flower..and 2 buds.

I welcomed the plant home.

I am a nocturnal person... at my active best, post 11 pm. As I was pottering around the house, I smelt it.. the fragrance.. aaahhhhaaah! I dislike the phrase 'happy dance' , but believe me, I did some version of it. As also calling up the sister and showing it to her ..clicking many pictures and posting it to the few who knew about my love for the flower. I am also crazy about the fragrant yellow champa, rajnigandha , baby pink carnations, white and purple gladioli, mogra gajra and a string of surangi...Just saying ! .

The flower wilted the next day but the 2 buds bloomed on night 3. After that the husband noticed that the leaves were shriveling and on checking he found an infestation. A white feathery infestation on the stalks..branches, and white patches on the backside of the leaves. We were inexperienced plant parents, we did not know how to stop its spread. The nursery owner advised a spray of neem oil. We tried that. He asked us to trim the plant.. we did that. '

Today about 6 months later, one dried stick and one dried leaf is all that remains of my dear paarijaat.

I am not very keen on acquiring a new one, and I don't beat myself up about not being able to grow and sustain a healthy plant.

I try.

The Parijaat is too deep rooted an attraction. And now sometimes I feel it is good that the yearning remains in the heart. Makes me long for it.. Hazaaron khwaaishein hain aisi.... har ek poori hui, toh kyaa mazaa.. some small, very personal desires.like this one ... are worth yearning for.. waiting for....precious that they are..

In the meanwhile.. that is a good two years ago, I made one more of my Parijaat dreams come true......The टप टप पडती अंगावरती प्राजक्ताचे सडे

How?... dekho dekho..

 

 

 

Day 3. Somreeta

The Parijaat.

I first saw the parijaat flowers when I had been to my native village near Udupi, when I was 6 or 7 yrs of age.... at my father's home.

A typcal , beautiful house, with the red Manglorean tiles, two pinkish red concrete benches on the outside of the house. As one entered the house on two sides were two raised platfoms .. ahead of those was the aangan.

In the aangan was the tulsi vrindavan, And on the edge of the vrindavan, I saw a neat row of orange stalks. I moved in closer to have a better view and I picked one, only to realize that it was a flower with a orange stalk.

I remember being very excited when I saw it and I remember asking my grandmother about it. ' Paarijaat' she had said.

My next meeting with the flower was when i was in school. 5th or 6th std., in a Marathi poem or a song.. 'टप टप पडती अंगावरती प्राजक्ताचे सडे ! Visualisation is a strength with me, and I imagined myself, a young girl, standing under a Parijat tree, looking upwards , twirling, with the tree showering me with the flowers.

When I was in still in school... probably in 8th or 9th I had picked out a a book from my dad's book rack. It was a collection of short stories. I do not remember the name of the book, nor the name of the author (Bengali author) , nor the name of any story. But it had stories from Bengal.

I remember 3 words from that book. Maa go, Thakurbo and Shiuli.

While reading a book, I become the protagonist. It is me living that character.. it's my story... And of one story, I have evocative memories... of a child running through the fields, on a cold misty morning, cutting a path through the tall grass with her hands... .running ... and the fragrance of the shiuli.

It was only with the arrival of the internet at home, that I 'searched' for Shiuli .. and the search returned - The Paarijaat.

Post the shaadi, the parents-in-law, visited us one summer. Me and the husband led busy lives then - rushing to work in the morning, returning home, cooking,, clearing. The weekends were for catching up on sleep.

One day, I saw my father-in-law standing at the ghar ka mandir (which was one compartment in the row of kitchen cupboards). He was placing some flowers.. When he moved away, I saw a very familiar sight. Orange stalks in a row. Probably it is a Udupi thing, placing the flowers, so )

Now that I knew what it was, I only asked him where he had found those. And his reply - ' 5 minutes walk down from your building' . It was a 'chullu bhar paani mein doob jaaoon' kind of a moment. So close, and I had not taken note of my surroundings. I walked past that tree twice a day, everyday.. and I had not noticed it !

And so it remained ... a wish .. a longing,, for a parijat plant.. in my window. in my balcony, which would flower, spread the delicate fragrance into my home...

Life happened and I forgot about it.

The lock down of last year made us ..ie me.. view life differently. We had planned to renovate our home and I had decided that once that is done, I will bring the many plants from my wish list, into my home .

At that time the mind and the heart chimed together - kaal karey so aaj karr'. ... kal kisne dekha hai... yadaaaa yadaaaa..

And after many many conversations with the local nursery owner, the parijaat came home one night. it was about a foot and a half tall.. and guess what.. it had a flower..and 2 buds.

I welcomed the plant home.

I am a nocturnal person... at my active best, post 11 pm. As I was pottering around the house, I smelt it.. the fragrance.. aaahhhhaaah! I dislike the phrase 'happy dance' , but believe me, I did some version of it. As also calling up the sister and showing it to her ..clicking many pictures and posting it to the few who knew about my love for the flower. I am also crazy about the fragrant yellow champa, rajnigandha , baby pink carnations, white and purple gladioli, mogra gajra and a string of surangi...Just saying ! .

The flower wilted the next day but the 2 buds bloomed on night 3. After that the husband noticed that the leaves were shriveling and on checking he found an infestation. A white feathery infestation on the stalks..branches, and white patches on the backside of the leaves. We were inexperienced plant parents, we did not know how to stop its spread. The nursery owner advised a spray of neem oil. We tried that. He asked us to trim the plant.. we did that. '

Today about 6 months later, one dried stick and one dried leaf is all that remains of my dear paarijaat.

I am not very keen on acquiring a new one, and I don't beat myself up about not being able to grow and sustain a healthy plant.

I try.

The Parijaat is too deep rooted an attraction. And now sometimes I feel it is good that the yearning remains in the heart. Makes me long for it.. Hazaaron khwaaishein hain aisi.... har ek poori hui, toh kyaa mazaa.. some small, very personal desires.like this one ... are worth yearning for.. waiting for....precious that they are..

In the meanwhile.. that is a good two years ago, I made one more of my Parijaat dreams come true......The टप टप पडती अंगावरती प्राजक्ताचे सडे

How?... dekho dekho..