Beautiful pink lotus I am, I think that is the name of my species of flowers. We are found only in two colours that are pink and white. At the end there is a long stalk which is light green in colour and at my base, a few flat light green broad leaves hold on to my body and adorn me.
I live in water bodies, in small ponds or lakes or rivulets. My home is actually on the surface of the water and this is my very special feature. Did you know about this special feature of mine? There is still another great quality of mine and that I think is really great.
This quality is that, no matter how dirty the base of the water on which we stand, I and my clan of flowers never sink, we just stand erect in the midst of water. No matter how much dirt there may be around me, I keep above it all, always clean and beautiful. No matter how much dirt there may be under my stalk in the water, it can never pull me down to its level, i.e. I always keep ‘above board/ I am known for my cleanliness inspite of the fact that there may be hoards of filth around me, I maintain my discipline and keep clean, so much so that, my name is quoted for as an example of purity and goodness.
This is no mean achievement for, no matter how much filth there may be around me or at my base in the water. I remain above it all – absolutely untouched by any sort of debasement – and I manage to maintain my glamour and beauty. It is so wonderful to think and understand that, no evil can ever destroy me, and that, and I remain an entity never to be destroyed by any vagaries of atmosphere and environment around me.
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I am considered to be so pure that, in the Hindu mythology I am made as a seat of the Goddess of wealth – Lakshmi – Aha! What a place of pride for me. Thus, besides my beauty and capacity to remain untouched by evil, I also provide a seat for a goddess.
I thank God for all the good qualities He has bestowed on me, due to which I am a unique flower. I am a flower that does not grow in gardens on land, but I make a garden of me and my several colleagues on the surface of water. It may be thought that my community of flowers does not like to mix with other flowers of any other species, and that is why I and my other friends are as if a class apart.
We are never found in any mixed gathering of a variety of flowers so may be you can call us unsocial but, that is how God has created us, and as you all know, no individual has any authority on what God ordains.
With this background, with all of it to be proud of I have to mention that lately from the last few decades, I hear a political party of India has selected me as their election symbol.
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So much so good but, I do hope that, that party does not Bely our trust – and pollutes our good name with their wrong doings. When under my symbol a party works, I feel that it should be as pure as I am known to be – i.e. no matter what the atmosphere around them, the party should be above all – just as I am above all the filth around and under me.
If they achieve this, then only they will be justifying using me as their symbol. However, if they also flow in the direction of the others I will be degraded as, I am used to being coupled with only goodness, or rather godlike goodness. I only hope the party that is using me as their symbol will not bring disgrace to me and my community of the Lotus flowers.
While I say all this to you about myself and my community, I must also tell you that, I am enjoying my life with my brethren in a lake in Faridabad. It is a wonder when we will be plucked from here and what for, and when any one of us will die. Presently, the lake I can see looks beautiful with me and my several colleagues blooming in the alternate colours of pink and white.
To this lake I see several tourists both Indian and foreign coming so, I believe that it must be a tourist attraction. When I hear them praising me and my friends, I pull my collars up. In the lake we are very well looked after and I do hope thin happiness of ours continues till I die.