Madhu – Malti. Why the 2 names? Are they two types of flowers? I couldn’t care less. That name conjures to me an imagery of bunches of beautiful flowery creepers that spread their arms beautifully in a warm caressing envelope. The pink and white dainty beauties peep down shyly, as if avoiding the constant glare of sun and stares of tons.
It’s a name that has stuck with me since childhood in reference to flowers. We had Har singaar, bela, raat ki rani etc amongst the many trees abounding the Benares house till concrete seeped in surreptitiously, eating away the greens and eroding the captivating sights ruthlessly.
The lustrous Madhu Malti canopy over the main gate of Benares house remained till the end, in a bid to fight the steely encroachment . It had a calming, welcoming pose and bore vagaries of nature for decades to stand firmly entrenched to the ground.
When we shifted to our own residence in Lucknow a decade ago, I made sure to have Madhu Malti creeper planted inside the house. It grew rapidly enough to swarm the frontage. .
Itr roots stand firm while its branches droop, crawling all around, averse to pruning and chopping, growing doubly fast with a vengeance if scissored !
Evocative, comforting, enchanting- the flowers have begun to mean so much more than what they are planted for. They display a lingering connection to my roots, my childhood home and my past. They possess a place of pride, a reference point( that Madhu Malti wala house), a trademark and a stamp!
Oh ,what a sight to behold!
Since when does a mere plant, a tree or a flower begin to mean so much to a person!? After all, they have a shelf life, are delicate, prone to cruel human intervention in disposing them of if needed?!
One can never answer that satisfactorily.
It’s an escape route, a soothing sight, a wonderful selfie point, imparting a sense of joyful fulfilment.
Life indeed has come to a full circle.
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