Here is the season of the flowers..Vasant! The parijatak is in full bloom & the flowers come down with the winds. It has a beautiful rhythm. The white flowers with it’s saffron stalk are the most delicate & dainty among the flowers.
Mangesh Padgaonkar, well known poet in Marathi literature must have written about them at least 40 years ago. It was included in the textbook for lower classes. The teachers then made it into a song. If not a popular Hindi song was used as a tune. It helped to remember & memorise it. ‘Bhir bhir tya talavar gane amche jule..’ our song along the flowers dropping on the body. The showers were a luxury. Having a shower of fresh , fragrant flowers..a novelty.
‘Phula sarkhe sarva phula re surat mislun sur chala re.. gane gati tech shahane baki sare khule..’ I had never known the word, ‘Khule’ for idiot. The poems increased the imagery & the vocab too. In ‘Pati, patni aur Woh’ has a song,’Gana aye ya na aye gana chahiye…thande thande pani se..’ may be Marathi or Hindi the compositions, the verses, the thought reflected unity.
‘Vadal vara mor pisara..ya ganyatun phule..’ Padgaonkar had a unique style of writing. It was his simplicity. ‘Tuzhi vahi, mazhi sahi..’ he is known to write verses that appealed to all. The moment you see a ‘Parijatak’ or even one flower the song comes to the mind.
Picking up the flowers & offering them in the temple or to the Gods residing in the house was common. The flowering season is incomplete without the falling flowers. One has to bend & pick up the flowers. Plucking them is not the option. Isn’t that unique?
Finding the unique among us. Happy searching!
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