. Aristotle in his analysis of nature, questions if flowers have a soul or not. That might have been the first ‘recorded’ incident of a question pertaining to these simple majestic blooms from nature. Ancient civilizations in India and Egypt might point towards a direction. Seen as carriers of divine power, religious importance, ancient frescoes have often showed important figures in history and mythology relishing and reveling in their scents. It was almost as if Egyptians and the people of the Indus spoke a similar floral language. Symbolism, mythology and stories were used to strengthen the significance of flowers. Each god had a preferred flower and garlands were all rage during celebrations of any kind. Joining a litany of gods from cultures around the world was the Roman goddess Flora — the protectress of gardens. Flowers were used extravagantly in ancient Rome where rooms were carpeted with florals to create an effect of purity and beauty. Velvet hedonism. With the fall of the Roman empire, gone was the theatre of such drama and pleasure-seeking. In the year 800 AD, while Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman emperor, he became acquainted with Arabic gardens where flowers had a very special meaning. Time flew and then came the likes of Botticelli and Mansur. Painting the beauties of the floral world, Botticelli painted the metamorphosis of the Green nymph Chloris to Flora. And Mansur some decades after captured the magnificence of flora in the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir where unseen incomparable flowers blossomed to beauty. Flowers remain a nucleus of many cultures. A fragrant thread connecting civilizations. A garland of myth, folklore and legend. From Flora to Lakshmi and Botticelli to Mansur, they speak to everyone, everywhere.