India, April 4 -- "We never step on flowers," said a middle-aged man from Bengaluru's Thigala community which had gathered inside Cubbon Park to worship Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The park is an escape into nature for the residents of India's Silicon Valley. But during the 11 days of the Bengaluru Karaga festival, it also turns into a sacred portal for the community's chief goddess.

I got a glimpse of the 800-year-old festival on my first visit to Cubbon Park on March 29, 2026. I went in with a rather straightforward objective of immersing in urban ecology, similar to walking through Lodhi Garden - my favourite experience of living in Delhi. I left with the unforgettable sight of Jacaranda trees i...