The Glorious Gulmohar of Northstar

I have seen a giant Gulmohar
I have seen a frail Gulmohar
I have seen one grow so fast
That I looked like a tiny seed pod
In only five summers
Like the five petals of Gulmohar flower
Four of them intense scarlet
And one with splashes of white and yellow
Like with all trees
I sleep under the Gulmohar
And I dream many dreams
And in one summer
The heat was so intense, so blinding
It gave me an eschar
But I slept under the Gulmohar
And I dreamt of Kandahar
Because I heard a story in my class
Story of Rahmat from Kabul
And I imagined Gul from Kandahar
I don't remember much from that dream
Only that it was under the Gulmohar.

We continue our wander around the campus. If you come to Northstar in summer holidays (May and early June), you will be struck by the stunning red canopies of our Gulmohars. Along with the Amaltas, which is also in full blossom in the summer, the campus is perhaps at its greatest beauty when there are very few to see and admire it. The flaming reds and yellows are a sight to behold. I have often found myself struck by how beautiful it can be. The largest Gulmohar (also the oldest on campus, that we planted) is at courtyard near the washroom (our washrooms have courtyards, inside and outside both). This Gulmohar along with four Amaltas trees forms a beautiful sight for the classes adjoining it. Now this area is also connected with a new corridor from the Northstar Plaza. There are many more Gulmohars on the campus. At one spot in the school, there are three Gulmohar trees. All planted on the same day, all of the same size when planted. All three are watered at the same time, in more or less equal amounts. The third tree is twice the size of the first tree. I have wondered sometimes what accounts for this difference. All one can do is create the conditions for its growth. We may not will it to grow faster.

-Mohit Patel