Shiva Subramaniam Samraj sounds crestfallen on the telephone. The Joint Director, Horticulture, Nilgiris, says the Botanical Garden has never looked more beautiful. Last year, this time, the Ooty roads were chock-a-block with tourist vehicles and long lines snaked up to the gates of the garden waiting to enter. This year, Ooty wears a forlorn look.
“I shared the photographs of the garden on Facebook and 10,000 people have liked it,” says Shiva. “This is the best time for us to show off the garden and showcase the hard work that has gone into it. But the lockdown has tied our hands and there is no one to see the extraordinary work we have done,” he laments.
“I have been associated with the garden for 30 years, with a brief outing to Coimbatore and Chennai in between. This is the first time in history, that the Government Botanical Garden has been closed officially. Similarly, this is the first time that there may not be a flower show! There are nearly 25,000 potted plants and my team is emotionally hit that there is no one to witness the extravaganza.”
Botanical Garden in Ooty
They had no way of knowing about the onslaught of COVID-19, so preparations as usual had started by November. “The flowerbeds were prepared and seeds sown from November to January. New flowerpots were acquired, many seeds were imported and no efforts were spared at nurturing them. This year, we were hoping to show off our Begonia-Bada Boom series, Calendula – Gitana Fiesta, Touch of Red, Celosia-Century series, Calla Lily, etc,” says Shiva.
The team of five Assistant Directors of Horticulture, eight horticulture officers, 326 permanent staff and 303 casual staff have worked tirelessly, not just at the Botanical Garden, but also in several parks and gardens in the Nilgiris. “These include the Government Rose Garden, Doddabetta Tea Park, Sim’s Park, Kattery Park and Kallar Garden. And even during the lockdown, with requisite permission and minimum staff, they are all being tended to,” says Shiva. He says that would not have been possible without the encouragement and permission of the Collector of the Nilgiris, J Innocent Divya. “I have to also mention the tremendous support of the Agricultural Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary to the Government, Gagandeep Singh Bedi and Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Horticulture Development Agency, Dr N Subbaiyan. It has been a collective effort to carry on in these times of adversity.”
While the disappointment rankles, Shiva says that a lot of sprucing up and repair works have been carried out in the last month or so. “We were in any case preparing for the season. So rooms have been painted, footpaths have been set right, signages have been touched up. Sales counters are standing pretty as are all the lawns that needed some healing time after the onslaught of visitors trampling all over it in the months preceding. There is a new set of washrooms for the visitors now.”
Botanical Garden in Ooty
The garden is so beautiful that people have forgotten their stress and worries in them, says Shiva. “I have encountered so many people who have become so engrossed in its wonder, that they have not noticed that their children have wandered off,” he laughs and hopes the world has slowed down enough to give people time to take stock of their lives and the importance of Nature in it. “We feel happy that the garden affords so much pleasure to thousands of visitors who come here. We hope that they will also be respectful of the plants and the upkeep of the garden. We hope they will not vandalise plants, pluck and destroy them, not mess up the washrooms and stop spitting and littering the surroundings.”
The team of the Botanical Garden is impatiently waiting for visitors to start trooping in. There are many new plants and plans afoot, says Shiva. “We will be introducing new varieties of flowers, shrubs and trees. There are plans to set up an exclusive section for orchids... Tourists, when they return, will be in for a treat,” he promises.
