“Large-leaved and low-bent, trailing immense,Magnolias…” — Alfred Lord Tennyson, “The Princess”(1847) The Flowering of Memory and Myth Two splendid Sycamores stand like sentinels in my backyard—tall, stately, unshakeable. They frame the rear of my son’s New Jersey home with a quiet majesty. But it is the Magnolia trees in the forecourt that currently command all attention.Continue reading “Magnificent Magnolia – In Bloom and Beyond”
Tag Archives: Nature
Sycamore: A Tree, A World, A Wound
In the Shadow of the Sycamore Two tall and stately Sycamore trees stand magnificently at the far end of the lawn in my son’s opulent home — guardians of grace, stretching skyward in noble stillness. They are unlike any tree I had encountered up close: pale-barked, broad-limbed, with a silvery elegance that seems toContinue reading “Sycamore: A Tree, A World, A Wound”
The Poem in the Petal: Torch Ginger
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” — Henri Matisse A Flame Among Leaves It was during a quiet morning walk—the kind where the world slows and the soul listens—that I first encountered it: a towering flame among leaves. Rising silently from a bed of earth, its tall stem shimmered with an almostContinue reading “The Poem in the Petal: Torch Ginger”
Brahma Kamal-A Poem
A Nocturne in White (There are flowers that bloom for the crowd, and there are flowers that bloom for silence. The Brahma Kamal is of the latter kind. It waits not for sunlight but for stillness—opening its celestial white petals only when the world has turned its face away. Cradled on the edge of an unassuming cactus,Continue reading “Brahma Kamal-A Poem”
Why Bengulurians Must Produce Less Garbage
Once famed for its flowering trees and lakeside breezes, Bengaluru now finds itself buried beneath the detritus of its own growth. The transformation from “Garden City” to “Garbage City” isn’t just about mismanaged infrastructure—it’s a symptom of something deeper: a culture of unchecked consumption, buoyed by convenience and prosperity. A City Consuming Itself With oneContinue reading “Why Bengulurians Must Produce Less Garbage”
Brahma Kamal: The Flower That Blooms in Silence
“Some flowers bloom where silence dwells,In night’s soft breath, their secret swells.” A Chance Encounter It was not an evening meant for miracles. The day had folded into dusk without flourish—no omens, no signs. I stepped out into the softened hush, led only by the hand of a cooling breeze. And there it was. BeneathContinue reading “Brahma Kamal: The Flower That Blooms in Silence”
The Vanishing Sparrows
(They were once everywhere—flitting through courtyards, nesting in the quiet eaves, stitching our mornings with song. The house sparrow was not a creature of the wilderness; it was part of our breath, our rhythm, our childhood. Now, they are gone.Not with a storm, not with fanfare—just gone. With them, something else has faded too. TheContinue reading “The Vanishing Sparrows”
Where Have the Sparrows Gone?
My six-year-old granddaughter, returning from school, looked up at me with bright, curious eyes and asked, “What’s a house sparrow? Can you show me one?” Such a simple question—and yet it left me searching for an answer I could not readily give. How do I explain that the birds that were once our constant companions,Continue reading “Where Have the Sparrows Gone?”
Gliricidia Bloom
O Gliricidia, quiet and free,A lesson wrapped in mystery—That grace resides in things that fade,Yet in their loss, their light is made. Some trees stand tall and imposing, their grandeur capturing attention from afar. Others, like Gliricidia, enchant quietly, weaving a spell not through stature but through the ethereal beauty of their bloom. This timeContinue reading “Gliricidia Bloom”
A Waltz of Falling Blossoms-A Poem
(The first time I saw the white blossoms of the Caribbean Trumpet Tree twirling down in the gentle air, I was transfixed. They floated effortlessly, as if reluctant to leave the branch, yet yielding gracefully to the inevitable pull of the earth. There was no struggle, no resistance—only a quiet, mesmerizing descent. For a moment,Continue reading “A Waltz of Falling Blossoms-A Poem”