the pink on white.

For wild, bold, and beautifully unapologetic you.

   23 Feb, 2024 10:31 am

   Shikohabad junction.

I’ve always had a soft spot for government buildings, especially railway quarters and stations—the quiet ones, the empty ones. There’s something about their solid presence that draws me in also because these places often harbor the most beautiful Bougainvilleas—the best-kept ones. This particular Shikohabad station is my favorite, perfect for a station date, and this city has my heart, quite literally.

The whitewashed walls and clay tiles have a charm of their own. But what really caught my eye was the Bougainvillea. My love for Bougainvillea is well known, though most people don’t, but I do. When I saw it here, spilling over the station walls—the pink on white—I knew I had to capture the moment. The scene was too beautiful to pass up. What makes it special isn’t just the Bougainvillea’s wild beauty but how it transforms the place. How this wildly amazing plant, even with no care, can make any spot beautiful. A simple house, a plain wall—add a touch of Bougainvillea, and suddenly, you’ve got something extraordinary.

Though February is long gone and it's August now, it shows just how deeply this picture has stuck in my mind, prompting me to write about it now. One thing I’ve come to understand about Bougainvillea is that either you let them take their place as they wish, wild and free, or you should commit to taking care of them properly.

As we waited for the train, I couldn’t help but admire the way this shade of pink against the off-white wall was more than just a visual contrast. And then train departed, with a quiet reminder that even in the everyday, extraordinary moments exist, showing how beauty and wildness can harmoniously blend.

bougainville × nidhi.