At least hope is always in bloom

This year, it's hard to summon the energy for Durga Pujo. But just like the shiuli flowers that bloom without fail, we need to ensure justice will prevail

- SEEMA GOSWAMI

A few months ago, I paid a visit to my favourite nursery in Delhi to pick up some plants for my balcony. Walking through the rows of spring blooms, I came across a plant that looked very familiar indeed. "Yeh shiuli hai, na?" I asked the gardener who was assisting me. "Nahin madam," he said, shaking his head. "Isko parijaat kehte hain." I was unconvinced by this explanation.

So, I took a picture and uploaded it into an app that helps identify plants. And what do you know? Both of us were right. This plant is called parijaat in north India; but in east India (where I grew up) it is called shiuli.

As a child growing up in Calcutta, I was always told that the shiuli plant was very auspicious because its flowering - which happens only once a year - heralds the beginning of the Pujo season.