Amaltas, a sight to behold in Delhi: #MeAndMyAmaltas

The sight of Amaltas on city’s roads is bringing the much needed positivity back in our lives, amid the lockdown. Some popular denizens talk about their long lasting bond with the amaltas in their lives.

Looking out of the window, during this lockdown in Delhi, has turned therapeutic due to amaltas that has cast a dreamy spell on Delhi’s landscape. One could call this tree Cassia or Golden bells or Indian Laburnum, but its bright yellow sheen and captivating beauty will enrapture you so much that it would be difficult to debate on its name. The amaltas trees lining the Delhi’s roads have captured the fancy of many denizens who have been posting their photographs on social media, since these are visible from the balconies, windows and main doors of many a households, and don’t need any Covid protocol to be followed to get clicked!

Amaltas trees are in full bloom in Delhi, and catching the fancy of Delhiites. (Photo: Shivam Saxena/HT)

It’s sunny bloom can lift anyone’s mood and provide a much need positive vibe, especially in the present times of the pandemic. And that’s what some of the popular residents of the city advocate about them.

Grateful to the bounteous Nature

Author Manju Kapur and the amaltas in her house.

Author Manju Kapur looks at an amaltas in her backyard, and expresses how these trees are everything that an individual must be grateful for. The writer in her takes over as she goes on to explain how significant a part this tree has plays in her garden. “It has long golden strings, lending the air a yellow light, covering the ground with petals with every gust of wind... To see an amaltas tree, to marvel at its beauty is to feel grateful that Nature keeps on giving!”

A golden shower that welcomes April-May

Shovana Narayan recalls how she has grown up in Delhi amid amaltas trees.

Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan recalls the her fond memories of the amaltas in her vicinity. “These trees are more than 32 years old. And it’s wonderful to see the brilliant golden shower just blooming all over. It is just so beautiful! The sidewalks are yellowed with these beautiful flowers as if the tress are shielding and welcoming you with flowers. I remember when my father was posted here in the early 60s, we had a lot of amaltas trees. That time, summer meant blooming amaltas, especially in the months of April and May. What an artistic picture it made! It always reminds me of a poem ‘Os ki boond chalak hi gayi akhir kar, ishq saans lene laga umr ke baad. Amaltas tale’. There are so many poems that talk about the beauty of amaltas, and the amaltas of Delhi are the ones that I have grown up with.”

From one generation to another

For photographer Aditya Arya, the subtle yellow of the laburnum signifies warmth, sunshine, happiness, rejuvenation and creativity. But the bond that he shares with the amaltas near his house is as beautiful as the flowers of this tree. “This tree sapling was given to my daughter, by my mother, almost 15 years back! Today, it’s a big tree... invigorating and stimulating,” he reminisces, adding, “The story of the subtle and delicate formation of the amaltas flowers doesn’t end on the tree, but gets enhanced when it forms a carpet on the roadside to usher in summer.” 

Flowers that fall and adorn the sky’s reflection

A reflection of the sky, adorned by amaltas flowers, as captured by Sanjay Bhattacharyya.

Artist Sanjay Bhattacharyya gets filled with the thoughts of many amaltas trees that he crossed on his path from his residence to his studio. “Sometimes I look up to appreciate the beauty of those, and sometimes look down at the road that becomes a bright yellow canvas when the flowers fall from the tree.This year, I’ve experienced a very unusual beauty of those flowers. And after the recent sudden rainfall due to that cyclone Tauktae, there was stagnant water on the road and the reflection of sky was visible in it, and there amaltas decorating this view,” describes Bhattacharyya.

Amaltas spelt summer vacations

The bloom reminds singer Sajeeta Bhattacharya of her summer vacations. She says, “Carpets of yellow along the wide tree-lined streets of Delhi are quintessential to the onset of summer in the Capital. As a kid, it spelt summer vacations for me. And until today, I marvel at these chandeliers that adorn the streets!” 

Of romantic walks under yellow canopies

Reminiscing a memory from back in the days when he was a student at the National School of Drama, actor Rajesh Tailang says, “Our hostel was in the central part of Delhi; and I feel that the most beautiful amaltas blooming happens on the roads of Lutyens’ Delhi. In those times, the traffic on the roads was much less and walking on the side path beneath those yellow canopies was a very romantic experience. Sometimes, while walking, I used to recite poems and practice dialogues.”

Author tweets @Nainaarora8

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