nEW dELHI 11 jAN 2009
A trip to the Garden of Five Senses this weekend for the Sikkim Festival jointly organised by the state government and the Times of India group made
me think of one of life's most essential luxuries: flowers.
Whether it's a simple buttercup on a sylvan meadow or an anthurium's red curves livening up a minimalist room, there's no indulgence quite as delicately ephemeral and yet so strongly uplifting as a flower! And among them, since we are talking about luxuries, the orchid has to be the queen of flowers, as it requires careful rearing and handling.
Why Sikkim? Well, because I have never seen such gorgeous orchids before! Nodding in the winter Delhi breeze like the more usual gladioli, chrysanthemum and dahlia, the orchids exuded a mesmeric charm that most flowers would be hard-pressed to match.
Glistening with moisture, its velvetty sheen burnished by the mild winter sun, they looked so perfect as to seem unreal. It's easy to understand why these flowers command such prices around the world!
Which wedding decor is complete without flowers? Even if the humble by-the-weight saffron marigold can cut a dash, there is nothing quite like orchids to emphasise both rarity and breeding. That orchids have caught the imagination is evident as now the 'ordinary' ones are available for even Rs 30 per stalk, imported by the plane load from Thailand, in the usual shades of white, violet or yellow. And then there are the ones dyed turquoise to catch the eye!
Actually the sheer variety of orchids boggles the mind, both in its natural and hybrid avatars. Would it surprise you to learn that orchids are among the largest species of flowering plants? It is believed that orchids outnumber mammals as a species four-to-one, and they are more than double the number of bird species? Even so, they are rare because they either flourish deep in the rainforests and temperate wildernesses or in horticultural gardens. They aren't found in the average park or nursery!
Many a chic New York apartment has an orchid plant — usually a plain black pot with the almost bare, leafless stalk crowned by a magnificent spray of flowers. As a statement, it speaks far louder than even a barrel-ful of less exotic flowers. Increasingly India has also woken up to the orchids' less-is-more appeal, even if they don't know that some of the most beautiful species are grown right here in India.
Sadly, they are pretty difficult to maintain in the usual environment of our cities — which are either too hot, too cold or too dry for this moisture and temperate humidity loving flower! Ah, but that's precisely what makes it an essential luxury!
( sOURCE: ET)
Monday, January 12, 2009
BANGLADESH MAY OFFER PORT TRANSIT FACILTIY TO SIKKIM AND NE STATES
11 Jan 2008
Dhaka: Bangladesh’s new government led by Premier Sheikh Hasina has said it is considering offering port transit facilities to India’s seven landlocked northeastern states.
“The matter of giving port transit to seven-sister states of India as well as to China is under consideration of the government,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud told reporters in northeastern port city of Chittagong Saturday night.
India has for long requested such a facility for its northeastern states of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim.”(But) the government will take any decision in this regard after considering the country’s interest and sovereignty,” Mahmud was quoted as saying by the private UNB news agency.He said the government would take steps on emergency basis to resolve the maritime boundary issues with India and Myanmar and on enhancing trade co-operation with eastern countries.About another Indian demand for return of ULFA militants, he said a decision on ULFA operatives in this country and Bangladeshi terrorists arrested in India would be taken “on the basis of bilateral discussion.”
Source: Asia news
Dhaka: Bangladesh’s new government led by Premier Sheikh Hasina has said it is considering offering port transit facilities to India’s seven landlocked northeastern states.
“The matter of giving port transit to seven-sister states of India as well as to China is under consideration of the government,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud told reporters in northeastern port city of Chittagong Saturday night.
India has for long requested such a facility for its northeastern states of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim.”(But) the government will take any decision in this regard after considering the country’s interest and sovereignty,” Mahmud was quoted as saying by the private UNB news agency.He said the government would take steps on emergency basis to resolve the maritime boundary issues with India and Myanmar and on enhancing trade co-operation with eastern countries.About another Indian demand for return of ULFA militants, he said a decision on ULFA operatives in this country and Bangladeshi terrorists arrested in India would be taken “on the basis of bilateral discussion.”
Source: Asia news
Sunday, January 11, 2009
SIKKIM COMES ALIVE IN NEW DELHI
11.jAN 2009
NEW DELHI: It's hard to imagine that Gangtok is nearly 1600 km from Delhi. It seems just next door....With the sound of drums wafting on the cool
winter breeze, traditionally dressed youngsters wreathed in welcoming smiles, thousands of richly-hued orchids nodding along the pathways and a pair of energetic `snow lions' cavorting amid the greenery, Sikkim is truly holidaying in Delhi's Garden of Five Senses for a brief weekend !
The Sikkim Festival, presented by the state government in association with the Times of India Group, is bringing more than a whiff of the magical mountain paradise to frenetic Delhi. It's showcasing the ethos and philosophy of a unique little Himalayan niche which its native Lepcha people call Nyemae-el or Abode of the Gods. And it seems an apt name, given the sheer beauty of the land, its aura of tranquility and harmony amid the turmoil of the north east, and the unshakeable good humour on the faces of its people.
Even as eyes widen at the sight of rows and rows of gloriously-coloured, shiny orchids, and the piles of mandarin oranges, kiwi fruit and plump ginger tubers, it's not difficult to nod in affirmation of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling's pen picture of an idyllic, ancient region devoted to the new mantra of the 21st century, sustainable development. Even the dances presented by the Lepchas, Bhutias, Limbus and Nepalis, underline each community's deep attachment to nature and Sikkim's rooted culture.
Opening the two-day event in the presence of state Governor BP Singh, the three-term CM eloquently evoked not only Sikkim's commitment to taking the organic path to prosperity, but also its multifaceted attractions for the modern traveller, from natural beauty and adrenalin-pumping sports to spiritual solace and healing solitudes. From handicrafts to flowers, traditional food and music to tourist attractions, the best of Sikkim is on show. Delhiwallas have to travel only as far as Said ul Ajab on Sunday to experience it and then plan a trip to that paradise at the foot of the Kanchenjunga...
( Source:TOI)
NEW DELHI: It's hard to imagine that Gangtok is nearly 1600 km from Delhi. It seems just next door....With the sound of drums wafting on the cool
winter breeze, traditionally dressed youngsters wreathed in welcoming smiles, thousands of richly-hued orchids nodding along the pathways and a pair of energetic `snow lions' cavorting amid the greenery, Sikkim is truly holidaying in Delhi's Garden of Five Senses for a brief weekend !
The Sikkim Festival, presented by the state government in association with the Times of India Group, is bringing more than a whiff of the magical mountain paradise to frenetic Delhi. It's showcasing the ethos and philosophy of a unique little Himalayan niche which its native Lepcha people call Nyemae-el or Abode of the Gods. And it seems an apt name, given the sheer beauty of the land, its aura of tranquility and harmony amid the turmoil of the north east, and the unshakeable good humour on the faces of its people.
Even as eyes widen at the sight of rows and rows of gloriously-coloured, shiny orchids, and the piles of mandarin oranges, kiwi fruit and plump ginger tubers, it's not difficult to nod in affirmation of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling's pen picture of an idyllic, ancient region devoted to the new mantra of the 21st century, sustainable development. Even the dances presented by the Lepchas, Bhutias, Limbus and Nepalis, underline each community's deep attachment to nature and Sikkim's rooted culture.
Opening the two-day event in the presence of state Governor BP Singh, the three-term CM eloquently evoked not only Sikkim's commitment to taking the organic path to prosperity, but also its multifaceted attractions for the modern traveller, from natural beauty and adrenalin-pumping sports to spiritual solace and healing solitudes. From handicrafts to flowers, traditional food and music to tourist attractions, the best of Sikkim is on show. Delhiwallas have to travel only as far as Said ul Ajab on Sunday to experience it and then plan a trip to that paradise at the foot of the Kanchenjunga...
( Source:TOI)
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