ARTICLE : POWER OF A FLOWER

POWER OF A FLOWER

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

16/X/2021

One has been taking pictures of flowers from the same bush as they bloom time and again. People say what is the difference? Well, it is a matter of perception. Every flower that blooms have a different size, shade of colour, texture, size & shape, angle at which it blooms, place it blooms on the plant, even the consistency of its petals is different. The twist and curl of each petal is diverse every time. The ones which face the sun and the ones which don’t appear varied. That’s how I see them.

Some say a flower is a flower. Indeed, I agree, but every flower has its own character. Each bloom has a different charm and appeal. The same flower may look dull in the morning but may look fantastic by the afternoon. Some fade and even wilt due to the heat of the sun. Some get hurt by strong winds. Some get damp due to excessive rain but they all radiate a different charisma.

Each plant has its own personality and each flower on that plant also has a personality of its own. Some appear bigger than the others on the same bush. Two blooming close by may not be of the same size. Their appeal is different, their aura is different. They belong to the same variety but their imprint is different.

When I asked a ‘flower Plücker’, what do you see in that flower. He actually had no answer. He said that the deity likes flowers. I asked him, how many of them are enough? He said as many as we can collect. Then why did you leave the one which was touching the ground, to which he said it was dirty. Some mud must have got splashed while watering and it became ‘ashubh’ (unholy) even the dogs sprinkle on them. Why couldn’t it be washed or cleaned? Oh! I see, is what one could say and left it at that.

It takes days of hard work to grow a flowering plant. Manuring, hoeing, regular watering, de-weeding, keeping it pest free and then does a bud appear. That bud is also shy. Bit by bit it starts revealing itself and then one fine day the bloom appears. Before anyone can admire it, ‘snap’, and it disappears. The irony is that they won’t pluck it from their own garden as that is for beautification they say.

The good part of the plant is that it doesn’t stop flowering. The more you pluck the more it buds and some day when there are too many blooms on the same plant people leave a few.

Each flower has a different shape. One has to take a close look and make out the difference. Sometimes the bud gets stuck in between leaves. Still, it forces its way out and takes a very different profile. At times such flowers look better than the normal ones. Orchids can flower for a month; a hibiscus will wilt at the end of the day.

One cannot expect a plant to change its nature but we have to accept the way they are. Imagine people plucking hibiscus every morning did not know that it cannot go beyond a day. So, people start plucking them when they are buds and find that it still blooms if the stem is kept in water but will fade away the next day.

Flowers radiate so much positivity and bring so much joy that words cannot describe. The same is the case with certain varieties of plants whose leaves are what they are known for, like the Coleus and Crotons. People asked me that they do not flower, so why do you keep them? They call them ‘Jhaar’. One had to explain to them that they do flower but their beauty is in the leaves they display.

Even the grass on the lawn has character. It has flowers too. Only thing is that it gets trampled under our feet but continues to be green if watered regularly. If it is not mowed, it can grow wild and spoil the ambience of the garden. It too needs manuring and de-weeding from time to time.

All those who can grow these beauties should do it in the space they have. All those who cannot, should develop a sense of appreciation for the people who do it. Some people feel jealous instead for no reason. Try raising a flowering plant and you would fall in love with it like you do with your child. They work like magic.

Flowers take away all the stress in one glance. They can absorb all negativity. They can bring a smile and uplift your mood. That’s the ‘power of a flower’. Will people understand? I wonder!!!!!!!!