The Tulip Bulbs:
Shining Bright in Paradise
I love tulips. Maybe that’s the reason
why, when spring arrives, my traveler
mind starts wandering in search of
tulips. I believe, deep inside me there
is a soul of a “Flower Hunter”. Last year
during spring, I was in Keukenhof,
Holland, to see the world’s largest tulip
garden. This time, I decided to visit
the Tulip Festival in Kashmir which
takes place in the month of April every
year. It is organized by the Kashmir
Tourism Board, which was opened in
- One will be surprised to know
that this tulip garden is the biggest tulip
garden in the whole of Asia. The Tulip
Festival takes place in Srinagar’s Indira
Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden. Set at
the foothills of The Zabarwan Range,
the Botanical Garden spreads over 30
hectares of land, which is a feast to the
eyes.Over 2 million tulips were on display
in the garden, with people from all over
the world visiting to catch a glimpse of
this beautiful sight. Kashmir, known
as the ‘Heaven on Earth’, was once
under the reign of the Mughal Empire
in the past, so one can see the Persian
influence on the designs of the gardens
as well. The terraced fashion gardens
were considered an essential part in the
Persian horticultural architecture. One
could see its influence on the Nishat
Bagh and Shalimar Gardens as well.
This garden which is open for a period
of 15 days to the crowds is a view which
will remain forever in the memory of
a visitor. The bulbs which are used to
cultivate the tulips are brought in fromHolland. As the festival culminates,
all the tulip bulbs are color-coded and
preserved with utmost care for the
next season. All this work takes place
under the expert eye of the floriculture
department.Flowers are nature’s gift to us which
refreshes our mood and rejuvenates
us all. No matter what the mood of a
person is, flowers can bring a smile
on everyone’s face. According to a
recent study conducted by the State
University of New Jersey, people who
receive flowers or remain surrounded
by flowers, experienced a substantial
decrease in their stress level, they were
happier and contented. Flowers are also
the most powerful medium to express
our emotions, they say.The magnificent tulips cover a long
distance from the great Himalayas to
Europe. In spite of being the national
flower of Netherlands, it is not a native
crop of Europe. It’s from the greatBorn in India, Kaynat is an avid traveller and photographer. She decided to travel beyond the cliched
destinations and discover the new. Her enthusiasm to travel and love for writing finds expression in her
photography too. She has travelled 1,000,00 Kms in just 3 years. Kaynat’s passion for travel, writing and
photography paved way for ‘Rahagiri’, her blog. ‘Colors of India’, her solo debut exhibition celebrates the
rich culture, spectacular crafts & exotic artifacts, great traditions and rituals of India. In her experience,
she discovered the real India in the streets of old cities, in the smiles of innocent children running on streets,
in the skilled hands of the craftsmen, and in the eyes of the people who are beautiful from within.Dr. Kaynat Kazi
[email protected]
Canon EOS 5D Mark III 97mm F/4 1/250s ISO16076 Vol 2