From
olden days the inhabitants of
Kumbalam cherished to keep their
dwelling houses in the midst of gardens and in beautiful surroundings.
I loved to watch the flowers, their different
hues, attractive shapes, texture and sweet fragrances fascinated me. I often
thought of them as gifts brought down to the earth by the angels in heaven. Most
of the flowers open at night or in the wee hours of the morning. It is amazing
to observe flowers with dew distilled on them. Flowers slightly swaying in the
breeze are an overwhelming sight for me.
I spent time to study these flowers in detail by counting their petals
and the sepals. A majority of the flowers had only one ring of petals. The
rose, lotus and some of the hybrid varieties of shoe flowers I found they have a
number of rings of petals. Some of the
flowers are tubular. Some of the flowers are like mini bouquets having a lot of
tiny flowers arranged so brilliantly.
Flower is the reproductive organ of a plant;
and it can be dioecious (having both male and female organs) or monecious. I
noticed that a lot of pollen, the yellow powder, stuck onto my fingers when I
pressed its male organ. I could see the stigma that protruded out in some of
them and in some others it would be at the bottom. Sucking the honey from the
banana flower was our favourite pastime.
To mention a few of my favourite flowers;
they are the assortment of Roses and the Jasmines (Mulla or Mallika or Malli.) The fragrances they emit tickled and aroused my senses. The East Indian Rose Bay or (Nanthiyarvattom) and the evergreen shrub, Pitiosporum that
stood out with their white cluster of flowers and unique fragrances. The large
white or cream flowers of Gardenia, ‘Parijatham’
have strong fragrant scent that came wafting over me. The red Asoka (Asokachethi) in full bloom was eye-catching. When one beholds its bright
sanguineness blossom it heals or absorbs
removed one’s ‘Sokam’ or sorrows, and therefore, the plant has derived its name ‘Asokam’ which means “to forget
sorrows.” The red, yellow, orange, white, light pink flowers of Ixora or (Thechi) were very attractive. The yellow
bunch of flowers hanging from the Indian Labernum (Kani-Konna) is equally alluring. The Shoe flower plant (Chenparathi,) and the bougainvilleas sporting their different shades were
awesome. The yellow clusters of flower of Techoma were striking. I realized, “Beauty
exists in similarity but more in in difference.”
Wild flowers too have a unique beauty. Lantanas
are a wild and attractive variety of plants, which bloom in different colours. The shell like Clitoria ternatea (Sankupushpam)
is eye catching. I am amazed to note that Water-Lilly, (Ambal)
and the Lotus (Cheru-Chittamara,) plants grow in mire or mud in the canals, ponds
and paddy fields but its flowers were eye-catching. I am astounded to gaze at
the bulbous algae or Hyacinth locally called ‘Katapa Payal’ which spread on stagnant water and its purplish-blue
or blue bell-shaped fragrant flowers at a vast stretch of water were alluring.
March to May, being the period of spring
followed by summer, was the flowering season when the flowering plants were
always in full bloom. Regular watering is important to keep the plants in good
state. The multi-colored foliage plants such as the crotons too were attractive
like the flowering plants.
The Islanders used to make flower offerings
in temples. I have observed that the
white, blue and yellow flowers are sacred to Lord Mahavishnu (Sree Krishnan.) A
sanguineness colour like red and its various shades as well as orange are the
favourite of Lord Shiva (Mahadevan) and his consort Parvati. The golden yellow
flowers of Indian Laburnum, Casia fistula, are the harbinger of the New Year and
prosperity in its wake.
St. Joseph convent at Kumbalam used to
maintain a good garden. Rev Sr. Karithas and Rev. Sr. Rubina, my favourite
teachers, played a vital role in its upkeep. They pick of the freshly blooming
roses were snipped off their thorny homes to make a boquet. This gave a colorful facelift to the altar in
St. Mary’s Church. The planned positioning of the thorn behind the rose flower
speaks of the thoughtfulness of its “Creator!” The thorn defends the rose and it
harms only those who would steal the blossom from the rose plant.
I vividly recall the floral designs locally called “Pookalam,” etched carefully in front of our courtyard by ‘Ammachi’ on ‘Uthradam,’ the previous day of Onam festival, (the state festival
celebrated by all the communities in Kerala State.) We, children, used to
scurry around in our compound with petite wicker baskets to pluck even wild,
tiny and attractive white flowers of Phlomis,
Leucas aspera, a tiny
herbaceous plant locally known as ‘Thumba’ and hanging yellow flowers
of Biophytum
sensitivum or ‘Mukkuthi’; dark blue flowers
of Alamanda; blue and white flowers of Clitoria ternatea or Sankupushpam; the
light pink and blue coloured flowers of Hydrangea and the varied hues of
Lantana. A tasteful colour mix, adroitly created floral designs made by ‘Ammachi,’ used to last for a few days of
the Onam festival celebration.
I loved to check out the texture of the
flowers. It felt like the touch of different fabrics like - cotton, silk,
chiffon, satin and velvet. Even the best of painters might not have been able
to turn out such fantastic colour combinations in their works of art. The Holy
Bible says, “Even Solomon the great did not have such exotic clothes like these
portrayals of nature.”
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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