She is Bougainvillea,
Lush. Wild.
So full of colours.
Unassuming
And rarely appreciated.
Oh, she couldn’t care less! – Warm. Witty. Wise.
Delhi is ornate with the unpretentious Bougainvillea – on side-walks, boundary walls, road dividers, entryways, balconies… While the world stayed indoors, cringing and scared; this wild beauty was proliferating, coming to age!
At last, June brought some outdoor movement, after the tedious lockdown of three months. Driving after a long interval gave me a sense of liberation. I whizzed to exploit my freedom while still tending to essentials. After a few kilometres, what slowed me down was not the traffic police or my conscience, but the lush bushes of magenta, white, and pink. It felt like a sin to overlook this nature’s bounty, and from then on, I was the humble follower of traffic regulations.
For those who need an introduction to Bougainvillea, it is a tropical ornamental plant, most probably brought to India by her erstwhile European rulers. The nurseries in France and England did a ‘thriving trade’ by distributing Bougainvillea to its colonies, and we assimilated this splendour in our culture, and nurtured it with all our love and devotion. Their materialism but our optimism!
Look around Delhi, and one would witness this rising and falling, overgrown ‘paper-blossom’ everywhere. Bougainvillea is a drought, salt, and wind resistant shrub that thrives in exceptionally warm climates. It is a hardy plant, with ‘spine’ or tenacity of a fighter. Even when left unattended, it finds its way ‘around’ (not always up).
In ideal conditions, when well ‘nurtured’ (nutrition), ‘elevated’ (positioned, protected) and ‘provided warmth’ (direct sun light), it can bloom for as long as eleven months of the year. As perennials, it can flourish year after year, as long as not exposed to ‘harshness’ or ‘coldness’ (extremely cold climates). The nature has its own defence mechanism.
The Bougainvillea is equipped with thorny and stout limbs to clutch and leverage its elevation. Also, to keep the prey at bay!
Oh, ye tender bougainvillea,
thy vibrant pinks and pale whites
remind me of her beautiful blushes
and alluring stares;
no fragrance, full of thorns,
but forever,
I’d wish for her to adorn my garden
and fill my paths,
because after all,
what’s a beauty without some flaws?
-Nila
Although the wisteria is fierce in its growth, reaching over the brick walls and railings, snaring its way up to the roof, often raising awe, Bougainvillea is rarely ‘exploited’ (plucked), unlike other fragrant and rich flowers (roses and lillies). The free will of this attractive shrub coveys its right to lure, live (beyond sheer existence), and conquer at its own terms.
Bougainvillea, when young and beautiful, lives a complete life, a life for itself. It is under no compulsion to please other fellow beings…no fragrance; thorny, so not approachable. The beauty lies in the eyes of beholders, hence the world is free to recognize its importance for the vibrant cover it provides to the nature and vicinity, or dismiss it as a forsaken plant, not claimed by any occasion, celebration, or anyone worthy.
When it completes its ‘season’ or ‘lifecycle’, it either waits quietly on the tree, still adorning the environs to an extent; or falls off, to carpet the ground/grass with its colourfulness and tenderness.
Bougainvillea represents uninhibited life of an unconventional person, blatant and sensual, who lives by her rule books…gracefully enduring the consequences for being a part of the world that is slave to vanity and superficiality.
For once, the ride did not appear long on Delhi roads, as the poetic ideation again converted into realistic and gracious sight.
Monica (Managing Editor) is the quintessential researcher - she thrives on showcasing overlooked aspects that form the foundation blocks of people, places and issues. She is a social scientist by profession with masters in Economics and loves to travel.