Shankhupushpam - Another beautiful, edible flower ....

Shankhu Pushpam - (Shankhu meaning Conch-and Pushpam meaning flower) or Clitoria ternatea commonly known as Asian pigeonwings,  bluebellvine, blue pea, butterfly pea, cordofan pea and Darwin pea is a beautiful flower commonly seen as a creeper on the fences (and as fences have disappeared so this plant also) in villages. Rarely I have seen this in pots in the cities too.

This comes various colours from blue to purple, to white, even yellow etc, it is quite refreshing to the eyes.

 As kids, we used to collect this flower especially for Onam floral circles called "Pookkalam" and it is not that easy to make a full circle with this flower alone. After the first summer rains they come to life and in Kerala, one can see them during the rainy months.

Only recently I came to understand that this has quite a few medicinal properties and one can make beautifully coloured juices by boiling water and putting a handful of flowers in it and leave overnight to get a good dark blue tinged juice which you can drink with lemon and sugar or even jaggery.


I found that this is supposed to have some memory boosting capabilities and if one is especially stressed out or too anxious about something, a glass of cool juice made of this flower actually soothes you much. Interestingly there is also a variety of gin called Ink Gin in Australia coloured using these flowers. In Malaysia, these flowers are added while cooking rice to get a bluish tinged coloured rice.





So next time you see these flowers, get some and try your blue rice or blue lemon juice or even a hot blue tea. And also start cultivating a few plants in your garden or in a pot on your terrace (if you have) or verandah. Think of some innovatively coloured Biriyani or other dishes ..!!!

The setting Sun with its beautiful hues and colours...

Though the summer is something not all people can take it so easily, everyone cherishes the sunrise as well as the setting of the Sun. The change of the night into the day during the sun-rise and the change of the day into the night during sunsets brings about a variety of reactions from nature. Though as human beings, we have lost the importance of these important times of the day, other life-forms are quite active during these occasions.

 

 

 

Here is a sunset which I could catch at Matrikunj through the trees and I was amazed at the hues and colours that it brings about and the change in the mood of the surroundings, including birds which come back for nesting around huge trees, the call of the peacocks, the sound of distant cattle etc. The artificial lighting that we have, have taken away the beauty of the sunset and the dusk that follows, but still, every sunset, day after day, have always amazed me time and again.

Summer Blooms...

The summer in Pondicherry is always hot, humid and dry to some extent. It is quite taxing unless you are a very "sun-friendly" person, especially from 12 noon to 3-4 pm. One has to have a good protection from the sun. But this could be the same situation in other east-coast regions as well. But what was quite different is the summer in Delhi. It is dry, burning and dangerous at the same time. More about that later.

Though the summer is a bit tough, it has its own charms. The water melons, the local Kulfis, the summer vacation and free time for the kids, summer vacations for most of us are quite nostalgic. It is also the time of exhibitions, the melas, the circus and of course, the new phenomenon of summer camps where the parents want to park their kids so that they get some respite from their ever demanding kids..

It is also the time of examinations for grown-up kids (post-school of course), internships and fun camps etc. But beyond all that, the summer flowers are a treat to the eyes, adding colour and beauty to the otherwise, dry, dusty scenery. One of the South Indian festivals (State of Kerala), the Vishu or the Malayalam New Year (which comes in  mid-April)  is to start the new year with the arrangement of yellow golden flowers as part of the Vishukkani where the Konna flowers are used. (Cassia fistula, commonly known as golden shower, purging cassia, or Indian laburnum, is a flowering plant in the subfamily, Caesalpiniaceae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia.  It is a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine. It is both the national tree and the national flower of Thailand. It is the state flower of Kerala in India: from Wikiepedia.) 

In Ayurvedic medicine, the golden shower tree is known as aragvadha, meaning "disease killer". Hardly used by the common man, it forms an important herb used in the Ayurvedic preparations. It has long black seed pods which is not very easy to germinate, and I had to wash the seeds with hot water for a couple of minutes (after several instances of googling), I could get them germinated..

Photos taken at Matrikunj Organic Farm (Sri Aurobindo Society, Poothurai near Pondicherry).