You cannot stop an idea or identify meaning of the idea when it comes and when it comes it doesn’t stay for long, it vanishes in seconds of time. If you witness a thought/idea  and try to ponder over it, it just drifts away or vanishes. But if you hold on to it and chew on it, then it stays with you by giving some vague presumptions until put to a logical end by adopting right action.  A  beautiful thought can get messed up because of our assumptions.  The way we think about something, greatly impacts our emotions and actions. This phenomenon is not just a coincidence; it is a powerful aspect of human psychology that shapes our experiences and ultimately determines the outcomes.

An idea, especially one that has not yet been fully developed may be brilliant in nature. But the sad truth is so many such brilliant ideas come and go. An unresearched thought/idea is a bubble and they don’t get beyond a thought bubble.

I want to write about a beautiful Marathi lyric written by Tryambak Chintamani Khanolkar who had been given pen name as Arati Prab; the poetry was sung by Mahendra Kapoor and composed by Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar “Ti yete anik jaate”.  In the poetry Khanolkar talks about an idea/thought of an artist, which comes and goes away. In Marathi thought is ‘kalpana’ which is feminine noun. The thought comes in form of bud and wants to be thriven like a flower before leaving. Which means the artist needs to give shape to the thought by adding clarity and shaping it in a perfect bloom.   

The nature of any thought is transient to come and go, to inspire the artist for getting beautifully  shaped. The thought teases the artist, it plays hide and seek .  While coming to the artist she comes shyly and blushing. And if the artist fails to shape her, she mocks him while leaving for not grasping her.  She wants to be grasped by the artist, and she wants to be comprehended precisely.

She has no constraints of time, place, situation while coming and going.  She enjoys the freedom of arriving anytime, anywhere in any situation, in a fluid form. She stays for a while and runs far away from the artist if she is not caught in time and while going farther, she hums the evening tune which meaning the day coming to an end. She travels a far distance while  coming. She feels disappointed and she vanishes, which dismays  the artist. Our thoughts are like bubble waiting to be popped.    

Hridaynath Mangeshkar spoke about his experience of composing this song: Tryambak Khanolkar and Hridaynath were great friends.  Khanolkar was a bit whimsical poet. He had written this poetry on a piece of paper and gave it to Hridaynath for composing. Hridaynath after reading it felt that it is premgeet/love poetry. He kept it away thinking he would compose it some other time.   Khanolkar came after a fortnight, asking whether this poetry is composed. Hridaynath told him that this is a common love poetry and why hurry to compose? Khanolkar became angry and told the meaning of the song. And Hridaynath without much delay asked his friend Mahendra Kapoor to sing this song. This is how the evergreen song “ti yete anik jate” is created.

I am giving here below the song and in Mahindra Kapoor’s velvety voice.

Cherry blossom symbolizes spring which is a time of renewal. It also symbolizes the transitory nature of life. Cherry blossoms bloom in several shades; the common colour is light pink and dark pink colour. But they come in shades of white, yellow, and green. The yellow-green or white-green blooms turn pink as they age. The trees grow and establish themselves relatively quickly, but they don’t last very long. These blooms often last not more than two weeks therefore they symbolize transient nature of life. Though the blooms are short lived, they represent beauty and hope.

In psychology, cherry blossom personality implies an introverted, analytical, yet knowledge seeking person who understands the world around him/her. But these people are happier from inside. The don’t waste their energy much on talking, they are observant, and they make decisions based on their observations.  

Cherry Blossom is the national flower of Japan; they call it Sakura. To the Japanese, cherry blossoms indicate the coming of spring, hope, and renewal. In a more symbolic sense, due to their delicate nature and short lifespan, for the Japanese, they are pure expression of the temporary nature of life and beauty. The outer beauty of human is temporary. Japanese hold ‘flower watching’ parties known as Hanami which is celebrated as a springtime custom. It is about appreciating the beauty of the seasonal flower.

In China, cherry blossoms hold elevated status signifying love and the female charm which is beauty, strength, and sexuality. But, nowhere in the world are the elusive flowers more cherished than in Japan, home to thousands of cherry blossom trees.

The pops of pink mark the ending of winter and signify the beginning of spring. Due to their quick blooming season, cherry blossoms also symbolize the transience of life which is a major theme in Buddhism too.

In India we get to see cherry blossom in some parts. In Meghalaya, in the east’s Khasi Hills people experience a beautiful season of cherry blossoms as soon as the spring season approaches. Shillong even hosts a festival, International Cherry Blossom Festival that is dedicated entirely to the blooming flowers. Shillong is known as India’s cherry blossom hub. The whole town is covered with lush and fragrant cherry blossoms, so much so that even the sky looks pink. In November, the city also hosts the International Cherry Blossom festival. The Northeast states Sikkim and Nagaland also celebrate the season of cherry blossoms.

Bangalore bursts into bloom in March, swamping locations such as like Silk Board and Kundanahalli Gate with pink cherry blossoms. They are lovingly referred as “Bengaluru’s own cherry blossoms.” Bangalorites eagerly document their city’s cherry blossom on social media pages. To witness Bengaluru’s version of cherry blossom trees, one needs to head to the city’s iconic Cubbon Park.

Even Mumabi sees the bloom in certain parts of Eastern Express Highway in Vikhroli from December to February.  The scent of cherry flower is indeed subtle and mild.  The scent features like lilac, rose, and magnolia with a mild tone of vanilla. These days cherry blossom perfumes are available in the market. 

I am concluding this article with Murasaki Shikibu (famous Japanese Novelist) quote “There is much to be said for cherry blossoms, but they seem so flighty. They are so quick to run off and leave you.”

Rabindranath Tagore, the greatest poet and Noble Prize winner for literature has written a beautiful poetry which describes impish yet a very tender and affectionate relationship between the mother and child titled ‘The Champa Flower.’ In this poetry the child asks his mother – ‘how would have it been if he was a Champa flower, just for fun, and grew on a branch high up on the  tree, and shook in the wind with laughter and danced upon the newly budded leaves’. The poetry narrates the child’s vivid imagination, mother’s anxiousness about her child’s wellbeing. And, whenever I read this beautiful poetry I feel Rabindranath Tagore chose Champa flower as theme of his poetry because of its attractiveness and exuberance!

We find some half a dozen varieties of Champa. Kath Champa flowers are strictly not summer flowers, as they will remain in full bloom from spring to right beyond the rainy season. Whereas the brightest red among them is called ‘Gulancha’ – a rather poetic name which Rabindranath Tagore named. Please do visit Shantiniketan, you will find a verity of Chapma trees red, white, faint yellow, green. Tagore was fond of nature, and flowers find coveted place in his writings too.

The fragrance of Champa is placid. It is popular for its delicate scent and has been a part of the Indian culture right from ancient days. It is used in religious ceremonies especially for Goddess Laxmi. Champa flowers are used to make some of the world’s most expensive perfumes as well. It’s called Chaaphaa in Marathi, Chenbakam in Tamil, Chenbagam in Malyalam, Shornochampa in Bengali, Cempaka or Sampangi in Telgu and Sampige in Kannada.

The flowers are used in Southeast Asia for several purposes. Especially in India, they are primarily used for worship. It is a very famous patterned tree. But very few know that the tree can be a very good Agro forestry tree as well. Golden Champa (Michelia) is an evergreen tree and mainly cultivated for its strongly fragrant yellow or white flowers. The beautiful yellow colour of the flower is used for extracting yellow dye, which is a base for other colours. An aromatic scent of the flower is used for commercial purpose; there is a famous ‘Joy’ perfume sold in the market which it seems is the most expensive perfume in the world; hence sometimes Champa tree is also called as Joy Perfume tree. The Golden Champa is a well-known, tall, handsome tree with a straight trunk and spreading branches, and belongs to the plant family ‘Magnoliaceae’.

Golden Champa is a useful agro forestry tree; it secures the atmospheric nitrogen in soil. Its leaves provide very useful mulch. It improves the soil under tree cover by increasing the soil’s pH value and organic carbon and obtainable phosphorus. Hence it is used for reforesting badly eroded areas. Its leaves are used as larval fodder by silkworms & butterflies. It has a potential commercial purpose as well. The petals and leaves are used for medicinal oil. Champa trees are good for wayside purpose and are often planted in the temple premises. The tree is hardly ever cut on account of it being considered as sacred. It can be propagated by seeds but seeds should be sown as soon as possible after collection.

The trees possess highly medicinal properties. Leafs extract and seeds extracts have fungicidal and antibacterial properties respectively. After childbirth the ladies are given decoction of the bark and leaves; the bark is used as a febrifuge. In Ayurveda, the tree is mentioned to pacify vitiated tridosha. It detoxifies poison, worm infestation, increase digestive power, diuretic and cures fever. Flowers reduce burning sensation, cures skin disease such as leprosy and ulcers.

Champa trees grow in backyard; they are sturdy and don’t really need too much of caretaking. The aroma of the flower emits a unique warm fragrance which pacifies stressful mind allowing one to relax and breathe easily. The perfume of Champa has a soothing effect.  Truly the tree and flower are divine; perhaps that’s why lyricists could not resist using its reference in poetries and songs.