“Flowers preach to us if we will hear” ~ Christina Georgina Rossetti
Yes it’s another summer bloom. The Ruby Red Champa is also known as Frangipani. You get them in as white flowers too. The deep color of the Champa and its fragrance ignites the heart and evokes love, passion and warmth. There is a common saying in Hindi “चम्पा तुझमें तीन गुण – रंग, रूप और बास ; अवगुण तुझमें एक ही कि भंवर न आए पास” translated it means ~
“Hey Champa you have three qualities – color, beauty, and fragrance, but the only thing you lack is that honey-bees never sit on you”.
Question – I wonder why honey bees do not sit on the Champa despite its sweet fragrance? 🙂
Cheers!
Breath of Joy 
Awesome!!!
Lovely take…
😀
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Gracious of you Nihar. Thanks and regards!
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Lovely photos and fascinating information about the flowers have no nectar. Love Sirinam’s contributions too.
All the best to you 😉
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Nice of you to appreciate. Yes Sriram’s response is always enjoyable to read. Thank you.
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Hey Dp (I hope i would not mind if i nick name you ) I am in awe reading this .Flowers and colors always make my heart swell up.
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Ha ha ha I really like Dp 🙂 And yes flowers, trees & nature are uplifting. Thanks & regards. Cheers.
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hello, beautiful photographs of a tree we don’t have and I’ve enjoyed all the comments above about the lack of nectar and the myths. Thanks you all! 🙂
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Nice words and glad you enjoyed. Kind regards.
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I’ve always seen the white flowered ones, so these were a pretty sight.
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Yes these did look very attractive 🙂
Regards to you Lubna.
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“God’s creations will always be a mix of perfection and imperfection. As such we need to celebrate mystery and wonder.”– I completely agree.. Even if firangipani does not have nectar it has survived ages bringing joys to the admirer… Everything indeed happens for a reason, which may look superficial but may have deeper significance.. Good read 🙂
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I like your take on this mystery. Nice of you to appreciate 🙂
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Really? That is a flower without nectar? Your post in interesting. I’ve gotta research on this one… Thanks for the thought provoking share.
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Yes it is intriguing. We have an interesting explanation given above my friend Sriram.Thanks for calling on 🙂
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So beautiful!! And…
Thank you for your wonderful blog. Congratulations; I have just nominated you for the Sunshine Award. For instructions, please visit: http://erranttranscendentalist.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/thank-you-for-the-sunshine-award-x2/
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Being nominated by blogger as you is indeed a singular honor! Thank you!
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Awesome pictures, the color comes out so vibrant.
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[…] 5. Dilipnaidu’s Blog […]
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Dear Sir,
Lets Explore the 3 virtues of the Champa – Rang, Roop & Sugandh as also its negative which is it has no ‘ras’…..
Rang, Roop & Sugandh are representatives of Form – pleasing the most dominant of senses – ‘sight’ & ‘smell’. Sights & Smells are fleeting and are easy to manipulate and create ‘illusions’ & ‘mirages’.
Whereas Ras or Nectar is food that becomes Body, becomes Us. Ras also is a metaphor for the ’emotions’ of life – the joys, the sorrows, the fury, the passions etc.. and a person who does not ‘feel’ such emotions is less than human. So we can perhaps conclude that the ras is the ‘Substance’….
The Champa & the verse based on it is perhaps testimony that Form without substance may help survive but not thrive – as you won’t attract honeybees who will use your nectar to create ‘eternal’ honey.
Perhaps that is also why the Champa symbolises Radha – She is consort like – but never the consort. She is forever ‘yearning’ ….
The lesson in the Champa can never ring more true in this season of excessive form prevailing over substance –
– We celebrate marks & not learning
– We celebrate wealth & not the means
– We celebrate ‘salary packages’ & not the work
– We celebrate ‘results’ & not the efforts
– We celebrate ‘status messages’ & not meeting in person
& the list is perhaps endless….
So the Champa says – ‘[Be not like me, O Man – for i am all form ‘no’ man!!]
Cheers!!
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PS – That was the ‘preaching’ of the Champa!!
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Dear Sri,
Read this amazing interpretation with great interest. This is wonderful way to explain the lessons of life. Yes the Champa despite its beauty and fragrance has no nectar so can we say that we are swayed by the superficial – the cosmetic but neglect our inner-selves (nectar)?
It also illustrates that God’s creations will always be a mix of perfection and imperfection. As such we need to celebrate mystery and wonder.
Thanks dear friend,
Cheers!
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The Mythological reason is that Champa is a symbol of Radha & Honey bees being the devotees of The Master, do not obviously sit on the Mistress!!… the biological reason is though they are fragrant they have no ‘nectar’ and hence honey bees have no ‘use’ for them….
So i really wonder if the myth is true… How can Radha be ‘nectarless’ when she had the Lord dancing to Her tunes??
Wonderful pix!
Cheers!
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Hey Sri that’s a ‘bulls-eye’ 🙂 And the biological reason too is convincing. I guess myths are myths and that’s why they are enchanting 🙂
Thanks buddy! Cheers.
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…truly strange, yet it is so beautiful!
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Gracious of you to appreciate! Thank you.
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