The Tree Which Conspired To Meet Me

"Here I was living with the misconception that I choose plants, in fact it's the plants who choose me."

My first weeks in Department of Botany as a Master's student were a mix of high crests of excitement, exhilaration and low troughs of self-doubt and dissatisfaction. The crests were shared with friends and the troughs were dealt through silent walks on the University lanes.

On one such outing when the world was nothing more than a few blurry shapes hanging around in the background, one bright yellow patch of colour brought me crashing back to Earth demanding my undivided attention. The sunny bright patch was a mesmerizing blossom lying arrogantly in my path. The bright sunny yellow petals made me pick it up and I was pleasantly surprised by the dark maroon heart hidden in the centre.

Surprisingly though I couldn't find the tree to which the sunshine belonged. So I looked around for a few minutes and gave up concluding that maybe the wind brought and dropped it in my path. I pressed that bloom for keep sakes in my diary and moved on.

Although I walked away but the pressed flower in my diary was a constant reminder which kept niggling me but not enough to go and search out the source. So I left the status quo unchanged until, a week after once again on my meanderings I encountered this gorgeous bloom. But this time it wasn't lying there on the asphalt instead it dropped yes it dropped regally on my feet and stopped me right there in my tracks! Again!!

This pretty yellow Hibiscus look-alike didn't let me rest until I found it's source. Which by the way was a seemingly innocent looking tree standing serenely on the side of the lane. The blooms were there, hidden high up in the tree camouflaged by the large green leaves. Such was the arrangement that not any wandering human eye could savour it's blooming beauties. For whatever reason I got to know that tree and I saw that the tree which I thought was just another tree was infact a very special tree with it's beauty hidden high above for only worthy eyes to see. Even the canteen owner who has passed by the tree everyday for past 25 years didn't know it had such beautiful flowers until the day he saw that flower in my hand!!!

And that day I realised many seemingly normal people are like that too with their extra-ordinary beauty hidden just below the surface for only worthy eyes to see and explore.

P.S. If anybody is interested that naughty tree is called Hibiscus tiliaceus and I found it near the lane passing by entrance of University of Delhi Dean's office.