A flower show: From Punjab rains to Pankhrian
Flowers are indeed spreading fragrance and lighting up faces at the chrysanthemum show which was inaugurated at the school on Saturday.
During the chrysanthemum show at Jitenderveer Sarvhitkari Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 71, Mohali, Saturday. (Express Photo) Behind the bloom lay a sense of impending doom.
“Rain played a spoilsport this time. Entire Punjab was affected. Many of our flowers and medicinal plants were destroyed,” says Pratibha Gupta, president of the management committee of Jitenderveer Sarvhitkari Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 71, Mohali.
Madan Gopal Rana, the horticulturist working with the school, faced uncertainty. “I wasn’t sure whether the flower show would be held.
There was a big question mark this time,” says Rana, who retired as junior engineer (horticulture), Chandigarh municipal corporation.
Anil Aggarwal, manager of the school management committee, was steadfast in his belief: “The show must go on. Environment is an important subject. Flowers spread fragrance and light up faces.”
Flowers are indeed spreading fragrance and lighting up faces at the chrysanthemum show which was inaugurated at the school on Saturday. The fourth edition of the show marks the 350th martyrdom year of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Malkiat Singh, for one, is very happy. The 70-year-old is participating with his team, Eco Plantation Association. “This is a nice initiative of the school. We are participating for a second time. We have brought 15 gamlas (pots),” he says.
Prominent among those to visit the show is District Education Officer Ginni Duggal, who is deeply impressed with the colourful collection of flowers. “I would like more government schools to participate in the show. Next year, we’ll fill the entire school ground with flower pots,” she says.
Punjab School Education Board chairman Amarpal Singh goes a step further, promising a pilot project on medicinal plantation in state schools and publication of material to promote herbal plants. “The school should prepare a module focusing on the commercial aspect of medicinal plants. We can do a pilot project in other schools. We can also carry articles on this subject in our monthly magazine Pankhrian (petals),” he says.
Principal Vijay Anand is overjoyed. “The kind of response we are getting shows how collective efforts pay off,” he says.
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