I Was Scared Stiff

I have seen or read about the beautiful places that are located in India. Kashmir is a heaven on earth with its bracing climate and scenic beauty. Bombay, the gateway of India, is a natural harbour with beautiful surroundings. Chandigarh, a union territory, is the most well laid out city of India and speaks volumes for the skill of the French designer who planned it. The Taj at Agra is the most beautiful Tomb which symbolises eternal love. But I have not seen a more beautiful place than the Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.

The Mughal Gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhawan were laid out by the British and are a replica of the Nishat or Shalimar gardens in Srinagar. The gardens are opened to the public in the month of February only. They are called Mughal Gardens because they were designed after the Mughal style.

It was the month of February. I was sitting with my friends in my drawing room. We were discussing all the beautiful places we had visited. All of a sudden one of us spoke about the beauty of the Mughal Gardens. We decided to visit the place on Sunday next.

On Sunday we went there by bus. There 'was already a great rush of people. Men, women and children were moving up and down on gravel paths which encircled the garden. The grass was so soft that it looked like a carpet of velvet. There was symmetry of the grassy plots. The flower beds were a treat for the eyes. There were flowers of various hues and shapes. The rose, the jasmine and the marigold were filling the air with their sweet fragrance. In the centre of the garden there was a pond having multi-coloured fish, a charming spectacle indeed. Fountains and water channels running across the garden added to this feast of flowers.

The visitors to the gardens are not allowed to sit on the grass. That is why every visitor moves from one part of the garden to the other looking at the flowers which grow there in abundance. The tall eucalyptus growing here and there beautify the whole