I hope this blog post will be shorter than my usual long-winded blog posts !
Last week, I had one morning to myself. Due to personal work, I had taken the day off. We were free by 11:30 a.m. My wife had to go to teach only in the afternoon. Our plan was to eat lunch outside after which I could leave her and go home.
Since we had time from 11:30 a.m. until lunch time, we went to Lalbagh. I had to stoop in the passage from the K. H. Road entrance, covered by creepers. The shade was welcome, though ! Photos from Lalbagh follow, but none with people in them !
We walked in Lalbagh soaking in the greenery and the calls of the squirrels and the odd hungry birds. One should be glad for small mercies in Bengaluru. Given the pollution and noise, I am thankful for the moments of peace that the green spaces of Lalbagh and Cubbon Park provide. Greenery is dwindling in Bengaluru, but where it is present, it is a treat for the eyes. We ate a raw mango as we walked towards the floral clock.
By this time, we decided that we needed to take a break from the walking. We had walked from the K. H. Road entrance to the Bonsai Park to the Glass House, around the Glass House and now to the Floral Clock. We walked past the Bandstand and sat down on the lawn. Those few minutes were blissful ! Even as a hot mid-day sun blazed down, a surprisingly cool breeze blew unhindered in the park. I closed my eyes and just savoured the sensation of the breeze on my skin ! We drank water that we had brought from home. Refreshed, we set off towards the lake.
We walked towards the West Gate.
We ate lunch at "The Rogue Elephant". The mango smoothie and the continental cuisine sated our hunger. The best part of the hotel is its ambience and the decently prepared continental dishes. It is pretty expensive though. My wife remarked : "This is as good as eating lunch in Lalbagh !". I left her at her college and went home.
Yesterday morning, my wife asked me to notice the hibiscus flowers in our terrace. After many, many years, we had three of them blooming simultaneously. As we enter the peak of summer in Bengaluru, it is such flowers and greenery that make even the heat somewhat more bearable !
The afternoons are rather hot these days in Bengaluru, as we enter into the peak of summer. As one of the windows in my bedroom opens to the west, the heat during the late afternoons and evenings can become quite unbearable. As we come to grips with the heat, the consolation is the amazing colours of the flowers that we see. Nothing demonstrates this better than a photo that my wife and I took in 2015.
Even as I write this, I know that it will be another hot day tomorrow. However, the Gul Mohur (or Mayflower) flowers have begun to bloom, covering the trees with a dazzling red ! As the artist Henri Matisse put it: "There are flowers everywhere for those who want to see them."
Last week, I had one morning to myself. Due to personal work, I had taken the day off. We were free by 11:30 a.m. My wife had to go to teach only in the afternoon. Our plan was to eat lunch outside after which I could leave her and go home.
Since we had time from 11:30 a.m. until lunch time, we went to Lalbagh. I had to stoop in the passage from the K. H. Road entrance, covered by creepers. The shade was welcome, though ! Photos from Lalbagh follow, but none with people in them !
 |
| Zoom into the hollow of the tree and one can see a snake in the dark recess of the hollow ! |
 | |
| This is the bonsai garden. Since it was a week day and the sun was beating down quite intensely, it was warm. The greenery was calming though ! |
 |
| It was tough to believe that this bonsai plant is actually 65 years old ! When it was planted, Pandit Nehru was Prime Minister of India ! |
 |
| Near the Glass House, there are sculptures carved out of fallen tree trunks like this one. I found them pretty good. |
We walked in Lalbagh soaking in the greenery and the calls of the squirrels and the odd hungry birds. One should be glad for small mercies in Bengaluru. Given the pollution and noise, I am thankful for the moments of peace that the green spaces of Lalbagh and Cubbon Park provide. Greenery is dwindling in Bengaluru, but where it is present, it is a treat for the eyes. We ate a raw mango as we walked towards the floral clock.
By this time, we decided that we needed to take a break from the walking. We had walked from the K. H. Road entrance to the Bonsai Park to the Glass House, around the Glass House and now to the Floral Clock. We walked past the Bandstand and sat down on the lawn. Those few minutes were blissful ! Even as a hot mid-day sun blazed down, a surprisingly cool breeze blew unhindered in the park. I closed my eyes and just savoured the sensation of the breeze on my skin ! We drank water that we had brought from home. Refreshed, we set off towards the lake.
 | ||
| This monkey sat on a bench next to ours ! It was quite curious and seemed to expect food from us, though there was no sign of it jumping on us to take it ! I am glad that it was not tempted by the bottle of water that we carried ! |
 | ||
| Three fountains sprung up just before I took this photo. Almost on cue, I could see kites and eagles take off from trees on the other side of the lake. One can see the birds on the right side. The soaring flight of the kites was soothing to view. |
We walked towards the West Gate.
 |
| The contrasting colours of the fruit on this tree made for an interesting sight. |
We ate lunch at "The Rogue Elephant". The mango smoothie and the continental cuisine sated our hunger. The best part of the hotel is its ambience and the decently prepared continental dishes. It is pretty expensive though. My wife remarked : "This is as good as eating lunch in Lalbagh !". I left her at her college and went home.
 |
| It seemed that we had replaced one green park for another as we ate lunch in "The Rogue Elephant" ! |
Yesterday morning, my wife asked me to notice the hibiscus flowers in our terrace. After many, many years, we had three of them blooming simultaneously. As we enter the peak of summer in Bengaluru, it is such flowers and greenery that make even the heat somewhat more bearable !
 |
| The three red hibiscus flowers refreshed me in the morning of 14-Apr-2018. I drank my morning coffee looking at the rich red colour in these flowers ! |
 |
| My wife pointed out the purple colour as we went for a walk in the evening on Sunday, 15-Apr-2018. |
The afternoons are rather hot these days in Bengaluru, as we enter into the peak of summer. As one of the windows in my bedroom opens to the west, the heat during the late afternoons and evenings can become quite unbearable. As we come to grips with the heat, the consolation is the amazing colours of the flowers that we see. Nothing demonstrates this better than a photo that my wife and I took in 2015.
 |
| The flowers of summer in Bengaluru can be a visual treat ! I put this photo on one of my social media accounts. The response that I received has been the most, in terms of numbers. |
Even as I write this, I know that it will be another hot day tomorrow. However, the Gul Mohur (or Mayflower) flowers have begun to bloom, covering the trees with a dazzling red ! As the artist Henri Matisse put it: "There are flowers everywhere for those who want to see them."
Comments
Post a Comment