Silicon Valley it might be, but the real wonder of this city, is LalBagh Gardens. This was Nature putting man in his place.
The giant Tamarind Tree seemed to stretch up into the clouds, it was so tall. "This is where your 'Worcester Sauce' comes from" Vijay, our guide, informed us. That tree commanded respect.... after all, a bottle of 'Worcester Sauce' on the breakfast table, no matter what country you were in, imbued the table with Englishness, with home and security, everything in its rightful place, of parents and grandparents and the continuity of lineage and all that is unchanging and best.
With its massive trunk and branches, the huge Candle Tree manages with rugged dexterity, to produce delicate white flowers, which bloom right out of its woody bark, as if by magic. The Redwood Tree pods are so hard and strong, that only a fire could break them apart to reveal their inner secret, a perfect container, with an individual compartment for each of its 3 smooth, shiny seeds, cushioned in the softest down, hidden from gaze, until only the most extreme conditions could crack the pod and allow germination to take place.
Fronds hanging in delicate, fragile, vertical wisps, - the Weeping Chinese Cypress, suggested the melancholy trees, wrapped in mist, in a Chinese scroll painting and then the antidote, the Colville Wonder Tree, with its bright orange blooms, hanging in heavy exotic bunches - a riot of indulgence !The tall, straight, heroic Talipot Palm, 75 years old and in fruit only once in a lifetime, would die afterwards - a kind of Botanical tragedy. And the overwhelming Palmyra Palm, providing writing material for all the ancient scriptural texts and ayurvedic documents from centuries ago - the nature of its palm leaf fibre led man to develop cursive script, because straight lines would cause the leaf to tear !
The wonder of this Garden of Eden !
No comments:
Post a Comment