At first glance, the clips flooding social media almost seem too perfect to be real, like an AI‑generated scene lifted straight out of an anime storyboard, a wide urban highway washed in soft pink, petals fluttering gracefully, casting a wistful glow over the rush of traffic.
It is the sort of visual that makes you double‑take, wondering if someone has applied a botanical filter to reality. Despite the disbelief and the fact that very few Mumbaikars knew this spectacle existed, it is not artificial. This annual natural event unfolds along one of the city’s busiest stretches, and it is now finally receiving the attention it deserves.
Every year, as winter loosens its grip and early spring begins, an exceptional bloom takes over the Eastern Express Highway between Ghatkopar and Vikhroli in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs.
For a brief window between late winter and early spring, rows of pink‑flowering trees change the otherwise grey concrete corridor into a dreamy canopy of blossoms that resemble Japan’s famed sakura, though the trees themselves are different.
Locals and commuters alike have been sharing videos and images online, describing the swathes of colour as ‘India’s own cherry blossoms’ or likening the scene to Japan’s springtime scenery. Many have joked that the visuals have anime‑core vibes.
The science and spread of the pink trumpet trees
These are not sakura trees. The blossoms come from Tabebuia species, particularly Tabebuia heterophylla and Tabebuia rosea, commonly known as pink trumpet trees.
Native to the Caribbean and South America, these trees have been planted across the city because they are hardy, require minimal watering, and put on a spectacular show when in bloom. Their clusters of pink flowers appear in short flurries along branches, creating a pink canopy that can make even a hectic highway feel momentarily serene.
The best-known site for this floral eruption is the Vikhroli-Ghatkopar stretch of the Eastern Express Highway near the Godrej area, a location that has become particularly popular on Instagram and X.
However, similar blooms appear elsewhere in the city where pink trumpet trees have been planted, for example, in Borivali, Powai, Sion, and around areas such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Lion Gate in Fort, the Bombay Stock Exchange, Rani Baug, and Mahim Nature Park.
Commuters driving these routes during peak bloom often find themselves slowing down, not because of traffic, but to savour the momentary beauty. Photographs capture the flowers overhead and the carpets of fallen petals underfoot, creating a memorable sense of spring that contrasts delightfully with the usual roar of city life.
This visual treat is short-lived, typically lasting a few weeks between January and March, so enthusiasts and photographers make a concerted effort to catch it while it persists. For many, it is a reminder that even in the relentless pace of a megacity like Mumbai, nature can still pause time, paint the world in pastel, and leave everyone wondering how something so lovely stayed hidden in plain view for so long.
