Delhi’s Floral Tribute to Holland

When one thinks of New Delhi’s famous Shantipath, the image that comes to mind is a serene road flanked by foreign embassies. But now embellishing the Chanakyapuri locality are a deluge of colourful flowers – tulips to be exact. Yes, it is the second edition of the Tulip Festival in the Indian National Capital. Thanks to this initiative by the New Delhi Municipal Council, 3 lakh specimens of the floral species have been procured straight from the Netherlands and planted in Indian soil. Augmenting the magnitude and splendour of this display, the Dutch Embassy has contributed another 40,000 bulbs.

A Floral Palate 

The floral event has been attracting visitors, photographers and horticulturists from across the city with its seven distinct varieties on show. These include the hues of red, white, rose, orange, yellow and violet. The festival stretching from Feb 10th to Feb 21st, has been timed to coincide with the ideal weather for these flowers to thrive in. The combination of crisp cold and moderate sunshine brings out the best in these blossoms. Furthermore, this imported batch has been introduced at its new venue in “serial blooming”, i.e., various lots in different stages of blooming. 

The Reactions

One visiting resident came on PTI News to thank the government for organising such a beautiful and colourfully diverse garden. The respondent went on to compliment the municipality’s meticulous timing and planning behind the festival. Another enthusiastic resident expressed on camera that she doesn’t feel like she’s in Delhi anymore and that on viewing the abundant strips, she feels like in another place altogether. How’s that for an escape from the city’s congestion and traffic! Another young lady favourably likened this display to one she had seen in the chillier ambience of Kashmir recently.

The Tulip Story

It’s not just the actual flowers that are luring the eye. There are also numerous boards awash with information about the celebrated flower. These trace the origin of the Tulip to 10th Century Persia (modern day Iran) and how they made their way into Europe, courtesy the Ottoman Empire. In fact, an obsession for the floral bulb gripped Turkey in the 1700s. Its fame became contagious to the extent that at one point, a single adeptly-grown tulip in Holland could buy a whole house. Today, the tulip continues to be one of the most coveted flowers in the world with price tags of USD 5,000 and more per piece.

The Final Word

The global Indian TV news channel WION even got to interview a Dutch diplomat named Doja about his impression of the ongoing event. The dapper young man expressed his surprise at how the festival had transformed Shantipath from empty tranquillity to a bustling locale of energy and enthusiasm. He added, “It makes me feel at home. It’s really beautiful to see them blossoming here. It makes me feel like cheese and I also see images of windmills behind!” It seems the Dutch don’t just need freely available marijuana to stir up illusory imagery!