An inspiring walk through the Aga Khan Park in Toronto, in the midst of Covid-19 physical distancing

Story by MALIK MERCHANT
Publisher-Editor Simergphotos,  Simerg, and Barakah
with photographs by the author and SHAFIN JAMAL 

A close-up of a tulip at the Aga Khan Park, Toronto. The tulip is seasonal, and blooms in early May for a period of 7-14 days. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

There are two beautiful outdoor events that attract tens of thousands of residents as well as visitors to Toronto and Ottawa in late April and early May.

In Toronto, the destination is High Park to watch the blooming of the cherry blossoms; and in Ottawa it is the beautiful tulip festival on a one-kilometre long pathway adjacent to Dows Lake known as Commissioners Park.

The physical distancing rules due to Covid-19 apply to very popular parks such as the ones I have mentioned which become crowded quite easily. Thus, we cannot view the beautiful and impressive short-lived natural spectacles in person. A live webcam has been placed at High Park so that we may view the cherry blossoms from our computers, phones and tablets. The Tulip festival in Ottawa, which has grown to be the largest of its kind in the world, can be viewed online from May 8-18, 2020.

In view of the closure of High Park, I wondered where else I might be able to see cherry blossoms in bloom while maintaining social and physical distancing. In 1959, the citizens of Tokyo had gifted their counterparts in Toronto 2000 cherry blossom trees. So, I wondered: would I find any at the world-renowned Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, just off Wynford Drive? A quick google search told me that there were indeed a few trees on its grounds!

Armed with a camera and an iPAD, under very bright skies and a summery temperature of 22 °C on Sunday May 3, 2020, I first headed to the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre on 6 Garamond Ct, off Wynford Drive, and took some photos of the beautiful cherry blossoms, and then crossed the road for a walk through the Aga Khan Park.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS AT THE JAPANESE CANADIAN CULTURAL CENTRE

Sakura is the Japanese name for flowering cherry trees and their flowers – often referred to as cherry blossoms, pictured above at Toronto’s Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. In Japan there is a legend that each spring a fairy maiden hovers low in the warm sky, wakening the sleeping cherry trees to life with her delicate breath. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10. Caption credit: High Park Nature Centre.

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Cherry blossoms at Toronto’s Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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Cherry blossoms at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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AGA KHAN PARK, AGA KHAN MUSEUM AND ISMAILI CENTRE TORONTO

As I entered the park by the flags of the Ismaili Imamat, Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto, I met Shafin Jamal who was carrying a camera Canon 60 D. From a safe physical distance, we exchanged social greetings, and expressed our sentiments about how much we missed our Jamatkhanas and the Aga Khan Museum. At my request, Shafin kindly shared some photos later that afternoon of the Park, the Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili Centre buildings. Three of his photos are included in this piece.

From left to right: Flags of the Ismaili Imamat, the city of Toronto, the province of Ontario and the Maple Leaf of Canada at the Aga Khan Park. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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A beautiful view of the Jamatkhana dome of the Ismaili Centre Toronto located on 49 Wynford Drive. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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The east side exterior of the domed Jamatkhana or prayer hall of the Ismaili Centre Toronto, captured in its totality from the Aga Khan Park. Photo: © Shafin Jamal. Camera: Canon 60 D.

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The front entrance of the Ismaili Centre Toronto located on 49 Wynford Drive. It is also the passenger drop off point for members arriving in motor vehicles. Photo: © Shafin Jamal. Camera: Canon 60 D.

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The glimmering Big Heech sculpture by acclaimed Iranian-Canadian artist, Parviz Tanavoli, greets visitors outside the main entrance of the Aga Khan Museum. On the panel explaining the sculpture Parviz notes, “Heech has multiple layers of meaning — in Persian Sufism it has a great meaning: God created the universe out of nothing, so if the universe is made of nothing, then nothingness is everywhere, in every part of the universe, in all creatures. That’s one way of looking at it, and the other way is that as a physical shape it has an appealing volume to me; it has a head, eyes, and a very beautiful body. So, from both angles, it has was a perfect word for me to choose and work on.” Photo: © Shafin Jamal. Camera: Canon 60 D.

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Many trees at the Aga Khan Park are numbered; this one, a star magnolia, bearing the number 48 is located near the large patio space outside the social hall of Ismaili Centre. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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A close up of a star magnolia flower on Tree 48 planted at the Aga Khan Park in Toronto. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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Residential neighbourhood in the vicinity of  the Aga Khan Park, across the Don Valley Parkway, with downtown Toronto in the distant at right. The majestic CN Tower defines the Toronto skyline at 553.33m (1815ft 5in) . Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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A close-up shot of Toronto downtown from the Aga Khan Park, with the majestic CN Tower defining the Toronto skyline at 553.33m (1815ft 5in). Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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A beautiful bed of tulips at the Aga Khan Park, Toronto. The flowers are seasonal, and bloom in early May for a period of 7-14 days. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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A close-up of tulips at the Aga Khan Park, Toronto. The flowers are seasonal, and bloom in early May for a period of 7-14 days. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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A view from the Aga Khan Park of the large courtyard of the Ismaili Centre Toronto where crowds gather for refreshments and food  during special event days, weather permitting. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: iPAD-5th Gen.

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A definite sign of spring revival in these tress at the Aga Khan Park. The Ismaili Centre building is in the background, with its large courtyard at left. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: Olympus E-M10.

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A Weeping Cherry tree a the Aga Khan Museum that will soon start to show signs of life when it begins to be covered with white or pink flowers. The dome of the Ismaili Jamatkhana can be seen in the background through the tree’s bare branches. Photo: © Malik Merchant / Simergphotos. Camera: iPAD-5th Gen.

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A large Aga Khan Museum sign located at the edge of the Aga Khan Park by the busy Don Valley Parkway. Photo: Malik Merchant /Simergphotos. Camera: iPAD-5th Gen.

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A view across the Don Valley Parkway, from the overpass on Wynford Drive, of the Aga Khan Park and  Aga Khan Museum. Photo: Malik Merchant /Simergphotos. Camera: iPAD-5th Gen.

We have all been missing our family members and friends, and of course attending Jamatkhana. But the weekend’s walk through the Aga Khan Park gave me a feeling of immense happiness, and I truly felt the beauty and grandeur of nature. In solitude, I marvelled the architecture of the Ismaili Centre and the Aga Khan Museum, separated by the beautiful Aga Khan Park ponds. I offered a personal gratitude to Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, for his gift to Ismailis, Canadians and the entire world for these magnificent spiritual, cultural and social spaces. 

We live in the hope that our houses of prayer and worship as well as public spaces such as museums and parks will open soon. 

Date posted: May 6, 2020.

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