No words can describe the fragrance of every breath of spring

But photos come close. So here is this year's spring collection.





You can see Delhi Spring of the years gone by here.

Happy Spring!

The bad thing about Spring in Delhi is that it is short lived. the good thing is that the 15 days that the season lasts, flowers erupt, rather than bloom in every possible place. This is a bright red bushel I spotted while driving to work. Will get you more road-side flowers in the days to come. Happy Spring!

Palash

Watching Palash outside my colony gate, I often wonder what if one day Palash decided to talk. Since I am a proclaimed narcissist, I often wonder what Palash would say about me. Palash has been a witness to many a scenes from my life. Palash has seen me:

Prance on days when I was excited to go to school;
Tensed when I was not too sure about the exam or how I was going to fare;
Wishfully daydreaming when reality did not promise a fairytale ending;
Crying when the road was rough and so was life;
Solemnly bidding goodbye to friends after a get-together;
Waiting impatiently for guests who were having a hard time finding the way to my house;
Hesitate when there was something on my mind but my guts betrayed me to come clean with my mom;
Sad when I missed my dad too much;
Excited and even a little proud of my achievements when I could not just wait to come home and share the news;
Safe in knowledge that home was near;
Stunned to see the beauty of the colors of its flowers in spring;
Numb when the pain could penetrate no more;
Looking stunning when going all dressed for various occasions;
Teary when I came back from my school farewell and the college farewell;
Thrilled when going for the first day of work;
Tired when I returned from the first day of my job;
Smiling from cheek to cheek on the day I got my first paycheck;
Burdened with shopping bags after blowing up my first salary;
Crossing my fingers and blushing after I was dropped home after my first date;
Reliving that happy moment once the relationship ended;
Stressed over work related problems;
Analyzing personal follies and relationships;
In a hurry when I am sure to miss the bus, but make sure to put in the effort in the hope of catching it anyway;
Strolling in the cool breeze, taking in the spring air;
Enjoying the nip in the wind;
Invigorating the fragrance of the earth after the mild shower that wets her;

These are just a few things that are a shared secret between me and my beautiful Palash. Palash gives me the first sign that spring has arrived. I lovingly call him Palash. The scientific world decided to name him Butea Frondosa. I hope the Palash tree outside my house never lets my secrets out and honours the unsigned bond of secrecy between us.

Dastakar Spring Mela

Some more colours as Delhi goes all out to welcome and celebrate the Spring season. Over the weekend, I went to Spring edition of the Dastakar Mela. Dastakar is Hindi for handicrafts. The event held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is a celebration of the handicrafts from all over India.

As we entered the lush green lawns, we saw this man sitting outside his stall and making lac bangles.



This was his final work.

Further into the mela, I spotted these wood carvings and cane furniture pieces.

There were a lot of terracotta plant holders for gardening enthusiasts.I loved these butterfly shaped garden steps.
There was a lot to eat but the best find in the food court was Daulat ki Chat. Traditionally chat is full of salt and spices. But Daulat ki Chat is a sweet preparation. It is made of the milk foam and has just a little bit of sugar and is garnished with pista (pistachio), kesar (saffron) and powdered brown sugar. In short, it is DELICIOUS!

Spring or something like that

Over the past few days, I have been trying to better settle my hand at the camera. I am revising and revisiting the photography lessons I took half-a-decade ago. I am reading blogs, pre-ordering photography books and hoping that the renewed interest and effort in being a better photographer will show results soon. Of the recent photographs that I have taken, I loved this one of the hibiscus that bloomed in my small balcony garden and there is also a promise of one more flower in the bokeh'd background. This is the only sign of Spring that I experienced in Delhi this year that I have. And I am happy to share it with you :)

Anita Gokhale's Terrace

Delhi is full of places which are open to everyone--people who live here, people who are visiting from other parts of the country and people who are visiting from other parts of the globe. However, there are a few places, beautiful sanctuaries if you will, open only to a select few. My aunt, Anita Gokhale, has managed to create such a sanctuary for her family and her thousands of friends on her terrace. 

Going to her terrace garden to witness it in full bloom is a spring ritual. We welcome the colours on her terrace and in our lives every year by spending a fun-filled afternoon sipping tea and munching on delicious snacks made by her. Then we linger on to spend the evening with friends, sharing more delicious food and drinks while watching the stars in the sky and inhaling the aroma of the beautiful flowers that adorn her beautiful garden. 

This year I went specially to click photographs one afternoon so that I could share her passion for flowers with you.   

A big thanks to Anita aunty for working so hard to ensure all her family and friends enjoy the fragrances and beauty of these amazing flowers. You all will notice that she herself is as beautiful as the flowers she so painstakingly tends to. She is the one, standing on the right, wearing a beautiful smile in the last photo. The lady in the left is my mom. And she sure is always happy to be with Anita aunty. The presence of flowers and the sun makes it all the more special.

The complete view

Cornered

The pink flower bed

Blues, what blues?

Standing out

Saying something

The swing

Even the setting sun shines to honour the beauty

Bright as the sun

Folds

The bar

The source of light

The colour purple

Open

Friends and flowers

Sorry, I was supposed to do this post sometime in February. However things, in hindsight not that important, kept me away. This is my way of bringing the cool spring breeze into your lives :)

Suraj Kund Mela (Fair)

Suraj Kund is a place on the outskirts of Delhi. It is a picnic spot, which comes to life during the first 15 days of February every year. The Suraj Kund handicrafts mela is held in the vast complex every year in a bid to promote the national handicrafts industry.


I visited the mela (fair) yesterday with my mom. We thought that the spring day would be spent best at the fair shopping.There were several artifacts available for sale, from terracotta to jute, to wool... you ask and it was there.

This replica of the India Gate caught my eye but I did not buy it considering the real thing is just a stone's throw from my home.
Music from different states of India was also playing in different corners of the mela. Below is a group of four from the West Indian state of Rajasthan playing for the crowds and the cameras.

The ship of the desert were also in attendance. People were paying a lot of money to see the mela riding on the camels.
We were not the only people to think that visiting the fair on a Sunday was a good idea. And more minds thought like us.

And there were many many many more.

Even as we were leaving the crowds kept pouring in.


I have never seen so many people at one place. Up until now, the statement that India has the second largest population in the world, was just a statement. Now I have photographic proof! Phew it was tiring but overall enjoyable day.

Flower Power!

Flowers from Delhi to remember the sweet smells of spring this fall :-)

Roadside Bougainvillea

For those who think that I was exaggerating about flowers erupting along the road, this is the final post in the series of flowers. With such beautiful flowers everywhere, driving becomes a pleasure and at the same time for someone like me its unimaginable to drive past without stopping and clicking these beautiful bougainvillea plants. Tomorrow a respite from flowers and Spring. I'll get you other aspects of Delhi. :-)

Happy Holi

Boys enjoying the festivities of Holi. A colorful festival that welcomes spring in India.

A Holi wish to all the bloggers:

A splash of red I send for you,

A tinge of blue to cool the hue,

A rush of green for warmth and zest,

Though far away, I send my best.

HAPPY HOLI!!!