Being the Gentle Voice of Trees
When it comes to greening, I get greedy. And I exhibit land Mafia traits.
I got to know that a strip of land attached to our apartment was literally “no man’s land” because one faction of the government had encroached upon land that belonged to another faction. Well, these things happen in India. And we happened to have land that belonged to no one.
So quite like the first thing that land mafia do, I paid the excavator contractor to move in with the heavy machinery to clear and level the land. And then go one step further and dig huge pits that would make easy growing for the tiny tree saplings that would inhabit the pits.
Soon a poster was put up inviting members of our apartment community on Independence Day-to plant trees to put the green in our national flag.
About 75 trees were planted. And many more sprouted. If one could see a Google earth time lapse imagery of this barren patch, it would show the making of an urban forest. Snakes, mongooses, birds, bees, butterflies and other beings moved in. A tiny yet healthy ecology formed.
A few days ago, another excavator (this one, I never commissioned) was running amok in the forest, trampling, crushing and destroying years of slow, patient growth in seconds. I met the operator of the monstrous machine and asked him what he was doing. He stopped the machine, almost like he wanted to, and said he was following orders given by his engineer. I spotted a young man busy surveying the land.
Usually In matters where trees are threatened, Equanimity abandons me. I consider myself the voice of the voiceless trees and end up threatening people with my list of influential friends in high places who I could summon with a phone call, if the deforestation did not stop immediately.
That day, I did none of that.
I simply asked him why they were removing the trees. He said that they were creating space to gather the construction material required to build a wall. (in the middle of nowhere to protect nothing). And he said they were not killing any plants. He even questioned the excavator operator slightly to prove it. While in stark contrast to what he said, I could see the giant excavator posed menacingly in the middle of our urban forest, ready to raze it all.
All I told him was that we had tended to those trees lovingly over four years. I thanked him for being considerate and understanding. And I walked away. With a deep sense of acceptance of impermanence. Without looking back.
No attachments. No anger. No remorse.
If the forest was meant to go, so be it.
Then something shifted.
The excavator machine left the forest alone. The construction materials are now on the path that leads to the forest.
The wall, it turns out, could be a blessing in disguise for it will actually secure and protect our little forest.
And the trees that have been trampled and killed in the brief encounter with the excavator provide a fresh opportunity to plant again this coming Independence Day :)
Posted by Vinod Eshwer on May 4, 2018 | permalink
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Aabha Gupta wrote ...
Thank you Vinod for sharing this story of courage, trust and surrender! It brings hope :)
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Rheeta Baker wrote ...
It's all about letting go---sounds easy....but not as easy as holding on (will I ever learn that much TRUST?)
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Niki Flow wrote ...
Thank you for speaking up for the trees who can only be understood by those who love them. ♥.
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Dr Phiroz Poonawalla wrote ...
Please green the Land Hope more such occassion arise
Good planting
Regards -
Lawrence D. wrote ...
Loved reading this story. May nurturing forests who we were all part of in the not so distance past all over be loved and protected always.
Ragunath Padmanabhan wrote ...
Hmmm, by the middle of the story, I was already thinking who I would have called and what kind of drama I could have enacted to get the JCB out. For this kind of purpose I have some top police and even CBI names and numbers stored in my phone (sometimes showing them is enough, no need to call). But Vinod man, you are leaving me speechless. Of course I still do not trust this "silent method" at all. Thanks for braving it. If nothing else works, I might try it :)