Rows of multi-coloured tulips in full bloom is a sight to behold, and
the lucky recent visitors to the picturesque Deolo Hills near here have
been gorging on the veritable feast for the eyes.
The tulip bulbs were planted in the expansive gardens of the Deolo
Tourist Lodge, 5km from here, in December last year on an experimental
basis, and they are in bloom now.
The tourism department of the GTA had engaged
Himalayan Florica, a Delhi-based company, to introduce tulip flowers in
the hills to add another attraction for tourists visiting the hills
during the spring.
Neeraj Chhetri, the proprietor of Himalayan Florica, said he had
spoken to GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung on introducing tulips in the
hills some time last year. "Within days of my meeting with him, the GTA
chief accepted the proposal and we chose three places to start tulip
plantations on a trial basis. Apart from Deolo, we have planted tulips
at Lal Kothi and Shrubbery Park in Darjeeling. While the flowers started
blooming at Deolo about 10 to 12 days back, they are yet to bloom in
Darjeeling," he said.
Tulips grow from bulbs during the spring. The flower is shaped like a
cup or egg and has six petals, and comes in various colours like
cherry, orange, magenta, pink, crimson, and some more. "Tulips are grown
mainly in hilly areas, but they had never been tried on such a scale in
the Darjeeling hills. Their blooming depends on the climate and the
altitude of the place. Since Kalimpong is warmer than Darjeeling, the
flowers have bloomed early. We expect the Darjeeling flowers to bloom in
April. This should actually be good because flower lovers among
tourists can find tulips at different times in different places in the
hills. If it is March in Kalimpong, it will be April in Darjeeling and
other time in Mirik," said Chhetri.
In all, 40,000 bulbs imported from Holland have been planted at the
three places. "We had planted 18,000 bulbs in Deolo, and all have
bloomed. Some plants were stolen. Next time, we will plant the saplings
in an enclosed area. Tulips are a huge draw with tourists. There is a
Tulip Park in Kashmir, which drew over 12 lakh visitors last year," he
said.
The other state in India where tulips are grown is Himachal Pradesh.
Maya Bhattacharya, a tourist from Calcutta, got to see in Kalimpong
what she couldn't in Kashmir. "I had been to Kashmir, but couldn't see
tulips there. It was a pleasant surprise for me to see them in full
bloom at Deolo," she said.
The GTA chief executive, who has been camping in Kalimpong, said the
experiment with tulip plantation had been a success, and more tulips
would be planted at different tourist spots in the hills.
"We wanted to find out if tulips could be grown in the climatic
condition of the hills. The experiment has been a success. The flowers
will surely attract more tourists, both domestic and foreign. It is a
shame that some flowers have been stolen. We plan to install CCTV
cameras to prevent the theft," he said.(TT)
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