Amaltas Amaltas

The Amaltas must be blooming now...its just about the time of the year when some trees in Karachi start blossoming these light, delicate elegant looking yellow flowers. Not many people notice for some odd reason. But I must admit I would not have noticed it either if my mother didn't talk about those Sakura of Pakistan. The Japanese are sentimental about Sakura and 'hana-mi' or flower viewing is a national activity when the Sakura begins to bloom, marking the beginning of Spring.

The Amaltas, to me marks the beginning of real hell heat in Karachi. And yet its a lovable flower. It opens up into delicate paper thin petals, at a time when most living beings seem to be curling themselves like worms on heated up cement pavements....Amaltas somehow floats on its branches strong and dignified.

But it shows that life is very short.

Atleast its life finishes in about two weeks. But what grandness it shows in its two-week life!

This spring, in Japan while the cherry blossoms (Sakura) began to bloom, I was exploring the streets of Istanbul....and lo and behold found a few Sakura trees there! Unfortunately no one could share my excitement.....do I become a Japanese when I am outside Japan? Because when I came back, the sakura was in its late stages, I realised I am not so sentimental about sakura as much as any Japanese would be.... but I remember Amaltas tenderly. I respect it for making itself visible in a hard season!