Quiet presence, but rich in history

Anna and I found this monolith in the hills of western ghat, which is a protected mountain from quarrying.

This large stone is tall by about 20 feet and broad by about 15 feet and weighs several tons in weight. It rests majestically on the hill side. 

This stone tells its story of hundreds of years of its existence and its geological distinctive of colour, shape, size and substance. It is not in any sense  aesthetic to look at it, but its majestic appearance compensates for it. For most people it can be another stone with little consequence. But for naturalists, environmentalists, geologists, etc this stone is a symbol of nature's bounty and history.

Recently a child asked me, while giving a lift to the family, 'why there are speed limits mentioned on sign boards on the road side!' I replied,'The sign boards instruct us for our journey'.

These monoliths are sign boards to instruct us on the history of our environment. The shrubs that have grown, since they were planted five years back on the mountain side, tell us the efforts of forest officials to protect the hill from soil erosion. It is a home for students of Botany to study the shrubs that grow in dry conditions on  a hill side. The students of Zoology frequent this hill side to study the habitat of animals that live and breed here. The students of Geology come here to collect stones to study their mineral  content. The village women come to this place to gather dry wood for cooking. Although cutting or felling trees is prohibited, it happens as we saw bundles of fire wood kept for sale on the road side. One surprising feature of this hill is its several springs which do not dry up in summer because of which the shrubs do not whither in summer.      

 There is so much happening on a 'stony' mountain, making it a significant place historically. I continue to be amazed by such sights that remind us of the richness of all sorts that we are blessed with. This calls for esteeming our natural environment and not pollute, destroy or exploit it.

Prof. Jacob John, who is a nature enthusiast, used to say, that 'every stone is steeped in history. Let us honour its history'

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)