Blooms that Signal End of Winters

January to March in Delhi. After several years. This deserves a post. 

I recall clearly, for fourteen years, I walked daily towards the school building through the Semal-tree lined street. So I can claim to know something about them. I find these trees fascinating. They have a personality. I've noticed Gulmohars thinning across the city, but Semals I find dominating still. I know of people who find Gulmohars useless. Though they have nice flowers like the Semal, they cannot match the utilitarian qualities that Semuls possess. Plus many of our neighbors find the Gulmohur tree messy due to their heavy shedding of leaves (gone are the days of tree-huggers). Did you know almost everything that the Semul produces has a use to humans especially in Ayurveda? The bark contains tannic acid, which is great for skin burns (not that I tried it). Then you have semul pillows from this silk-cotton tree (which are comfy, I testify). Anyhow, more about the trees below. Bet you've noticed the beautiful tree:

These tropical trees commonly known as 'semal' (taxonomically known as "Bombax Ceiba") have many peculiar things about them. They look like ordinary trees all the year round, but they really are the harbingers of the summer to spring transition. This tree, has a lot to say when it blooms in early spring: it is fiery, flamboyant, showy and the rest of the year it is your humble and ordinary roadside tree.Embodies the spirit of  'carpe diem' in my opinion.

Their flowers though flaming red, lack any appealing smell to humans. Here you can see them with the autumn leaves. At a point in time, the Semal tree will be bereft of  the green leaves and will just have these magnificent red flowers. And then as the nature's laws prevail, the flowers will give way to fruits.

So, a bit later in the year they will have huge pod like fruits, which fall down with a thud and are full of seeds, ensconced in very soft cotton silk. This silk is often used as pillow filling. Hopefully I should have pictures to add then. 

In Retro: Women's Day Musings from 2009

An aquarium full of Piranhas: Jam-packed ladies compartment in mumbai’s local train at 6pm or a chartered bus service that starts from Delhi’s Nehru Place. A dabba full of women coming back from work – aggressive, verbose and unforgiving if you end up stepping on their feet.

I am part of the milling crowd and have often hated being in such situations. I try to see the colorful side:  the smiles on the faces of chattering women, those looking at their mobiles and smiling softly maybe upon reading a funny SMS and those peering to enjoy the window scenes. I try to belong somewhere; restlessly I shuffle and wait for my destination.

A couple of women vendors break my meditative state: one sells junk jewelry and other vegetables. Some passengers haggle, some succumb and others are nonchalant. I wonder: where’s the divide? We are all careerists- from sabziwalli to the IT consultant.

I recall words from a woman who made it big in the corporate world and appeared on the TV to sum up her journey as “Blood, sweat and tears.” Another dedicated her success to her husband and her in-laws who were “very cooperative and let her do whatever she wanted”. “Let her do?” struck me. “Whatever she wanted” struck me harder.

It struck me the same way as this other random incident.

Lunchtime. A senior VP opens his lunch box, sniffs the ghar ka khaana and remarks “This is the benefit of a housewife.” Another colleague remarks “mine makes me work hard to put the food on the table.” Laughter followed between them. I was an eavesdropper unable to see any humor in this situation.

The stories are situational, yet so similar. The career of a woman is everyone’s call in an Indian setup, not just hers. In the lower strata she works out of economic compulsions, in the middle class usually because she wants to assert her independence and in the upper class as a jolly pastime.  In all cases usually for the same reason as a man works: respect but she can’t say it. She can’t say that her career is one important aspect in her life. Not the only one, but vital. If she does, she risks a lot of stereotypes: “money minded”, “fast” and “selfish”. Dangerous tags.

Whether she chooses career or home or chooses between the either- it’s a decision that she has a right to take. In either case she is often swimming upstream. She has choices and she is thinking about everyone she loves when she takes them. Let’s not be judgmental about them.

This women’s day I’d like to something to men: don’t compete with women when it comes to career. Don’t judge us according to what suits you. We are just like you but we are not playing soccer you see. We have our body clocks to deal with and we want to make your life better. We will cope with all that crap but don’t give us additional burden. Let’s coexist like Adam and Eve and enjoy fruits of labour.  

This was written and published for my friend  Sneha's initiative, Sa, in 2009.