Pratibha Patil Admires tulips in the Mughal Garden After it was opened to the public on Thursday. Picture By Rajesh

New Delhi, Feb. 17: The Mughal Garden is in full bloom with talk of its red tulips spreading far and wide but Pratibha Patil is missing something — her favourite mogra.

The heady fragrance of the delicate white mogra would have completed the spring collection at the garden built by Edwin Lutyens. But the chill has nipped the desire.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t grow well in the harsh Delhi winter. But Madam is fond of this flower, which women in Maharashtra wear in their hair,” said an official.

For now, Pratibha will have to be content with other blooms as she walks around the garden each afternoon. Other than the mogra, the President is known to be partial to basanti (yellow marigold) and harsingar, a flower used in the Ayurvedic treatment of sciatica and arthritis.

The garden is opened to visitors this time of the year and is the highlight of Delhi’s all-too-brief spring. Lakhs walk past the gates for a month, turning the imperial structure into a People’s Palace, a term former President A.P.J Kalam was particularly fond of.

This year, the tulips seem to be the star of the show, reminding many of Silsila show-stealers Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha walking hand in hand through Holland’s flower zone in a song sequence from the Yash Chopra movie.

The ones in Pratibha’s garden also have a lot of Holland in them — the seeds are flown in each year from that country. “They have thrived this year as it has been so cold. They are in full bloom. If people want to see Dutch tulips, they should come soon,” the official said.

But while pretty flowers may be what the visitors come to see, Devisingh Shekhawat, Pratibha’s husband, prefers “greener pastures”. A botanist, Shekhawat is believed to have taken off from where Kalam left off and is very interested in the former President’s herbal garden. “He (Shekhawat) has also planted a rudraksha plant in the spiritual garden,” the official said.

Pratibha’s interest in astrology has added a new dimension to Lutyen’s legacy — a nakshatra garden. The section — with trees to represent the nine constellations — can be used to identify the tree linked to a person’s zodiac sign. “She started by planting a jamun tree on her birthday a few months ago,” the official said.

Another addition will follow soon. Pratibha plans a palm garden, with the myriad varieties found in India.

But while the President might not get the fragrance of mogra wafting across her sprawling garden, she has ensured that other, more repugnant, smells are also nowhere near: Rashtrapati Bhavan dumps its kitchen waste in a compost pit for manure. It will soon turn into a no-plastic zone.