Kolkata is touted as the City of Joy while Mumbai has been relegated to the City of Dreams. But, I can guarantee that when you have two different species of the Sorrowless, Happiness or, what is popularly called the Ashoka tree, thriving in Mumbai, you can only be a happy citizen.

The word Ashoka can be broken down to mean A (lacking) and Shoka (sorrow), thus referring to the lack of sorrow or the lead up to happiness. It is no wonder then that even in mythology, this tree finds a mention in the Ramayana, where Ravana after kidnapping a pregnant Sita, makes her reside in a grove of Ashoka trees. The bright orange-red flowers of the Ashoka were meant to keep her calm and happy, and its evergreen leaves provided cool shade. In effect, the tree kept Sita’s twin foetuses (Luv and Kush) healthy. Sita had apparently met Hanuman in Ashoka van, which is the forest of happiness.