While visiting the Elephant training camp, recently at Kodanad, located in the reserve forest, Anna and I had memories to recollect of our earlier visits with our children and their families. Every time we came across something more than we discovered during the earlier visits. This time it was the tall and majestic presence of trees some of which might be even a century old.
Those hundreds of trees growing next to each other creating a canopy over the forest obliterating the view of the sky, caught our attention more than ever, because there were many trees with marks of damage to their trunks, yet living fully and vigorously. With no knowledge of the science of Botany, we could only conclude that the marks of damage did not deter the trees from growing up!
Trees give life to the forest. They grow till that are cut down or a storm would cause them to fall uprooted from the soil that gives them life.
In the book, The Gardener, authored by Grain, there are stories of a simple man and a wonderful garden he cultivates. Grain's stories resonate with metaphors about different aspects of life. Th story of The Old Olive Tree came to my mind(page 44). While the gardener was walking through the forest he sighted the stump of a tree that was recently cut. The gardener was upset by this sight and pondered for himself the story of the tree swaying in the wind with its silvery leaves, till it was cut by in an impulsive act! Sometime later, he passed by that place again and found to his surprise new shoots from the sides of the stump growing towards the sky with 'arrogant vigour'. Stroking the tender leaves of the old olive, he said to himself, 'There exists a stronger will than that of a man'!
The trees live with this form of 'arrogant vigour'! That is why we have trees which give us fruits, shades to plants, oxygen for us to breathe, be a hosts to birds for nesting and preserve bird life!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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