For three weeks, the tourist buses stopped. The hills were empty. The Kurinji bloomed for no one but the clouds and the Tahrs. It was a somber reminder that nature giveth and nature taketh away.
Historically, the Paliyan tribal community used the 12-year cycle of the Kurinji as a measuring stick for their age. When the hills turned blue, they knew they had survived another cycle. munnar neelakurinji 2018
The next mass blooming event is expected then. (Though some botanists argue that climate change is shifting the cycle, 2030 remains the target.) For three weeks, the tourist buses stopped
Locally known as "Kurinji," these shrubs are mast seeders. They synchronize their flowering across vast distances, covering entire mountainsides in a dense mat of purplish-blue. After the bloom, the plant dies, leaving seeds that will lie dormant in the soil until the next mass blooming event. It was a somber reminder that nature giveth
It was also a technical marvel for photographers. Capturing Kurinji is hard. The blue color tends to get washed out in DSLR sensors. The best photos came from the analog film shooters and those with patience, waiting for the golden hour when the low sun painted the blue hills in hues of amber. If you are reading this and missed 2018, mark your calendar for 2030 .