The Ides of March

It is not yet the middle of March and the area around Native Place wears a dry, stark, look. The grass has all been foraged and all that is left is bleached out white stubs. The crafty goats seem to prefer the thorny scrub bushes to the unpalatable dry grass. Can’t imagine how much more scorched the land will get over the next two summer months of April and May.

The trees as I mentioned earlier are stoutly holding the fort. Around us the Red Silk Cotton tree and the Indian Coral tree are gloriously in bloom adding bright colors to the stark contrasts in the area as are the Palash (flame of the forest) and the Sterculia (Bonfire tree) that came into their own last month. It’s amazing to see all these fiery brightly colored trees which have common names associated with fire doing their bit for nature’s palette.

Soon we will have the festival of Holi upon us. In earlier times flowers of the Red Silk Cotton and Palash were used to make organic color that was used in the festival. But today ready-made chemical substitutes are widely used instead of organic ones and as the trees loose their uses they loose their place in man’s world.