Pink shelter.

[Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi]

This June afternoon, the two giant bougainvilleas near the duck pond in Lodhi Garden are in rich bloom. Their pink canopies rise above the garden, visible through the summer haze. Blossoms are drifting down from the branches, carpeting the ground with papery petals.

Only a few weeks ago, these trees were completely flowerless. That was puzzling, because their summer blooms are usually enduring. Whatever, now the branches are once again in pink.

The trees being so picturesque, the benches beneath the trees attract visitors throughout the day. This afternoon is no different despite the sweltering heat. Two lovers are sitting quietly on one bench. Another is occupied by a family of five—a man, a woman, an elderly woman, and two children. Nearby, a young couple poses beneath the flowering canopy while what appears to be a professional photographer takes their picture with a hefty looking camera.

Now, three young men carrying small books walk through the garden, asking people whether they would like to know that Jesus loves them. Eventually, they too stop beneath the canopy to take selfies, drawn in by the spectacle overhead. As often happens here, the bougainvilleas become the focal point of an impromptu gathering of strangers.

A park gardener once explained that, although these trees flower through much of the year, their most spectacular display comes in summer and lasts until the first substantial monsoon rain. Ah, the baarish! Across Delhi, people await its arrival for relief from the heat. Yet the rains that cool the city will also mark the beginning of the end for this season’s pink blossoms.

Still, these two bougainvilleas have passed through many such seasons, and their lush beauty returns season after season. They have appeared on this page before, including during the grim Covid years, when they bloomed through months of lockdown while much of the city remained shut down.

Around the trees, there are quieter scenes as well. One man is lying flat on the grass, eyes open and body perfectly still. Another is sitting alone on a bench, unaccompanied even by a mobile.

The trees provide shade for more than just people. An earthen pitcher has been filled with pieces of roti. Birds come and go, carrying away fragments in their beaks. Squirrels dart across the ground and among the fallen petals. Nearby, two dogs sleep in shallow hollows they have dug in the cool soil.

Late in the afternoon, a group of four arrives beneath one of the canopies. The woman in white is holding a bouquet of flowers, which too are pink but they aren’t the bougainvilleas. The new set of folks linger beneath the pink branches, gupshuping among themselves. When asked if they would pose for a photograph, Ginni, Priyanka, Aditya, and Ullas agree without hesitation. See photo.