Requiem for a dying tree

No living being likes to be uprooted. Not people, not trees

FOR EXACTLY 25 years, almost every morning, I have drawn open the curtains andsalutedthesun’sraysdiffusedthrough thebranchesofthemagnificentoldmango treeoutside. Recently, weacquiredthesite on which it stood, hoping to create an urban mini-forest and add ecosystem services in the vicinity.

The Mangifera Indica along with its many denizens has pride of place in our new design. Dozens of species have been feeding, nesting, androostingonthisheavily branched tree. Koels and kites, barbets andbulbuls, shikrasandsunbirds, owlsand orioles, to name just some birds. There are squirrels and fruit bats, butterflies and moths, spidersandants. Thelistseemsendless. “For me, trees have always been the most penetrating of preachers,” said Hermannhesse. Ihavespenthourslearning from this 60-foot-high tree draped with a creeping monstera, the air heady with its fragrant blossoms, its small fruits much prized for their tasty pulp.

Justrecently, wewokeuptoashocking sight. The previous night’s heavy thunderstormhaduprootedthetree. At3amsharp, it had simply keeled over with a painful thud, knocking down the retaining walls.

It was a revelation that one could feel such physical pain from the loss of a tree. Eyes streaming, I tried to make sense of what had happened. We were creating an urban wetland a few metres from the tree. An extra retaining wall was underway. But the unexpected fury of an October rain shower, putpaidtoallplans. Itfelledathing of ethereal beauty, a 50-year-old companiontobirdsandbees, agiverofshade, anabsorberofsoundandairpollutionandaveritable king of trees.

Carllinnaeusdescribedthemangotree in 1753 as belonging to the Anacardiaceae family and probably originating between Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Northeastern India. There are at least 500 varieties of mangosinindia. Togetherwithcricketand cinema, thenationalfruitprobablyisoneof the best unifiers of our people. Who doesn’t love mangos? Who doesn’t boast that their regional one is the best? How many childhood memories are associated with the messy pleasures of sucking the last sweet drop from its seed, or of wincing at the sharpness of a raw mango drowned in chilli and salt?

Howdoesonemakereparationsforthe loss of a tree? By planting 10 more? A 100 more? By prayer or fasting or some other penance? I have planted hundreds of trees inmylifeandplantoplanthundredsmore, but that seems inadequate. You cannot compensate for the time it takes, the wind andsun, thesoilandwaterittakes, andthe incredible mutuality it takes to grow a tree to its full-blown grandeur.

Emerging science has shed much new lightonthelifeoftreesaboveourheadsand below the ground. Thanks to pioneers like Suzanne Simard and Margaret D Lowman, we have learnt how tree roots use mycorrhizal fungi to communicate with each other on the Wood Wide Web. We know thattreetopcanopiesarelikeaneighthcontinent sustaining myriad life, and critical against climate change.

Millionsofpeoplearoundtheworldunderstandthatthosetreesthatcanbesaved, should be. Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement in Africa and India’s Chipko agitation are only two examples.

India has 2,603 species of trees and at least 650 are endemic. Almost a fifth of them now face extinction.

Why do some people care so deeply, whileothersaremorepragmaticaboutcutting trees for development? Maybe, like treesthemselves, peoplearediverseintheir thinkingandattitudes, shapedthroughnature and nurture.

Trees will fall. They will die. Not every tree can or should be saved. Many trees are wrongly planted, especially on urban avenues. Several well-intentioned tree planting drives need to be reimagined because trees don’t belong on floodplains or grasslands.

Butnolivingbeinglikestobeuprooted. Not people, not trees.

Wedecidedtoreplantthetreetorenew itsleaseoflife. Swiftly, thebenevolentgiant had to be chopped down to its bare trunk first. Treeexpertspreparedthepitwithbiocides and nutrients. An excavator was broughtin, toleveltheground. Acranewas called for to lift back the tree. More rain made the ground slushy, dangerous. Puzzledbatsandkiteswhizzedaboutinthe absence of the familiar canopy.

Eventually, the tree was put up. A shrunkenversionofitself, somewhataway fromitsoriginalspot, butuprightagain. We heartily hope the replanted tree will survive. Wewillwaterit; wewillpray; andwe will watch keenly for signs of life.

Men and machines had worked late into the night. Masala chai and biscuits were shared around. No one complained about the hour.

Vrikshorakshatirakshatah( Thosewho protect trees will be protected by them) — workers nodded at the phrase.

Ifthiscredoremainsintactinoursamaj, wemightyetsaveourselvesfromtheworst fears unleashed by our own ambitions. To paraphraseeowilson, maybewewon’tdestroy our species-rich ecosystems to cook our development dinner. Maybe we will preserve our irreplaceable ancient forests andregrowourdyingones, evenaswebuild dams and highways.

Thentherequiemforanydyingtreecan alsobecomeahymntoanemergingforest.

Thewriterischairperson, Arghyam, a foundation workingonsustainable water