Blooming in the pandemic

An unexpected second bloom of the two most famous bougainvillaeas

going on in Lodhi Garden is definitely the cleaner air caused by the lockdown.”

Another reason is propounded by S Chellaiah, director, horticulture, NDMC, whose department looks after the Lodhi Garden. “The synchronisation of recent showers with high temperature produced high humidity, which gave this fantastic bloom.”

Regardless, it is difficult to enjoy this beauty when the world is going through a trying time due to the pandemic. The general distress is discernible in the fact that the green benches under the trees are without romantic couples. A visitor’s first instinct in a normal time would be to claim the vacant seat immediately, but now there are new concerns—what if any asymptomatic person, infected with corona, sat on the lovely bench earlier?

Meanwhile, the monsoon is almost here, the heat won’t last long and this luscious rash will go away.