Where are those trees?

Bangalore was once noted to be a green paradise, with gentle tree-lined roads and flowers popping out of every picket fenced garden. The green cover must surely have done something to contribute to the salubrious climate as well. It brought a song on one's lips and a happy heart to match.

I remember there was even this popular pastry called 'Dilkush' or 'Happy Heart'. It was sold in plenty by the several Iyengar's bakeries dotting the Bangalorean landscape. You could buy a wedge of 'Dilkush' for a modest price. What you got was a pastry that resembled a pie. It had an assortment of dry fruits and coconut for a filling. It was quite sweet and pumped up the energy for many a schoolkid who hovered around bakeries during the break. Of course, schoolkids now tend to frequent noisy Cafes where they tuck into a sandwich or a Black Forest pastry, with a Cappucino to go. Trees being cut to accommodate ugly Electric poles

Life has become fast track. And even jetset, if one were to allude to the swank new Bangalore Airport that's coming along in Yelahanka. So what was once a narrow tree-lined road leading from Hebbal all the way upto Highgrounds Police station (called Palace Road) has now opened up with a vengeance, leaving gaping holes where trees once stood proud.

Tree stumps on Palace Road

It's breaking my heart every time I commute across Palace road, which is practically every day. Grand old trees, some of which are surely hundreds of years old have been uprooted to make way for a wide lane. All that is left are some branches and massive tree stumps. These trees are like old sentries that guarded the city from sunshine, from rain, from fog. While all this is going on, are these tree cutters actually planting saplings elsewhere? What with the high-rise buildings being erected everywhere, where is the place to plant trees?

Last month, the Art of Living had organized an All India NGO summit and the theme of this summit was Environment. The participants raised a whole lot of concerns, ranging from the dwindling number of Indian cows, to tree felling, from soil erosion to increasing pollution. Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar distributed the Lakshmi Taru tree saplings so that participants can cultivate it in their hometowns. One participant showed me a book that he had released which contained the rich flora of South Kanara. The pictures were simply magnificent. The conference turned out to be a very timely one.

Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar participating in the Q&A session at the NGO summit

Looking at some of the roads in Bangalore, the alarm bells are going off to every eco-friendly individual. The way we look at it, while we're all for progress, we'd still like to maintain the green terrain. After all, these grand masters have given their life to provide shade all their lives.

Some of us like-minded folks are planning to put up green signs which we want to prop wherever trees are being felled. Through these signs, we want to advise the public to plant more trees . If we gather enough momentum, we'd like to go on a peace march on the streets of Bangalore, advising people to go green.


If you're interested, do write to me at: kandula.manjula@gmail.com

Let's form a group and paste those signs all over town. I for one, am all for the cause of Spiritualitree.