Atop her modest home in Jhansi, Afsana Parveen has nurtured a blooming tribute to love and loss — a vibrant rooftop garden with over 200 plants of various flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

Her passion for gardening took root in her childhood, inspired by her father, whose hands were always tenderly raising life from soil and seed. It was in those early days that Afsana’s love for the green world blossomed, and later, when she and her husband Salim built their home, she finally made her dream of a terrace garden a reality.

With no space left downstairs, her daughter Kulsum Fatima suggested transforming the rooftop into a flourishing oasis. The vision was clear — a sanctuary brimming with flowering plants and the joyful chaos of leaves and blooms, reminiscent of the time they spent planting at her grandmother’s sprawling house.

But in 2021, a year etched in pain, Kulsum suddenly fell ill. What started as a simple stomach ache swiftly turned into a nightmare. The doctors worked tirelessly, but the illness of Appendicitis was aggressive and relentless. Afsana watched helplessly as her precious daughter slipped away, leaving behind dreams of a garden they would never plant together.

“She left all of us. She was just 17,” recalls Afsana after a brief pause.

The loss left a void that words could not fill. Yet, in her grief, Afsana found a purpose — a way to keep her daughter’s memory alive. She clung to that dream — to create a garden alive with colour and joy as a way to hold her daughter close, even in her absence.

With tears in her eyes and soil-stained hands, she planted the first few saplings, whispering prayers for their growth. Neither the searing heat nor the encroaching night deterred her. She immersed herself in gardening.

“I would hurry through my household chores to go up to the........

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