When A Tree Falls And Community Stands Up
“People come to us for permission to cut down the trees, this is the first time someone has approached us to save a fallen tree!!”
The incessant rains and storms in Vadodara took its toll on a 15-year old buch (Millingtonia hortensis) tree in our friend’s society. This friend, a nature lover architect, had planted this tree and taken care of it for these many years and so when it fell in the end of this September (2024), she was devastated. Not that she was not aware that it might fall; as it was owing to this fear that she had got it trimmed just the past week and asked the tree trimming person to also tie this buch tree to another stronger tree nearby. The tree trimming person, it turned out, had better things to do and the tree was never tied!!
The tree fell in the morning and its upper branches and main trunk rested on the nearby floor.
With rains and morning time, she could not think of anyone else but the residence of an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, which coincidentally is at the backside of her building. Of course, going to the residence of an IFS officer takes courage, and she was brimming with it at that moment as she wanted to save something very dear to her.
Greeted by the IFS officer’s wife and then the officer (Chief Conservation of Forests, Vadodara circle) himself, she narrated her tale. The IFS officer was practical and realized that the tree has lived its life and so asked her to let go. She couldn’t (or wouldn’t).
The officer said “People come to us for permission to cut down the trees, this is the first time someone has approached us to save a fallen tree!!”. He wanted to give this tree a chance, and so he set some official machinery in motion. A few trained people arrived soon to see how the tree could be saved. The tree was trimmed properly to lessen its weight and so that it can be pulled in place.
A passing tractor soon joined forces and helped straighten the tree while it was tied to a nearby stronger tree and a support provided alongside.
“The Communi-tree”
What happened here was “conservation” in practice. Conservation does not have to be a big movement always or a big project. What happened here was the determination of one person to save. What happened here was meeting with a compassionate bureaucrat who was willing to step up for citizens and take steps to support. What happened here was how random people also came together to help save a tree.
This was not just the saving of a tree. For a person like me who heard the story later, this was a moment of faith restoration. That things change when people come together. When there is support from officialdom, when our hearts and intentions are in the right place, when we have compassion and empathy and when we have the willingness, things change. And we also remember that “unless someone cares, nothing will change.”
This was our very own chipko-movement moment:)
For those who want to know the status of the tree now… well, the new shoots have started to appear in the tree and it is showing signs of revival.
If you want to send your greetings to the tree and the people behind saving it, please do share your comments and we will make sure to send these to the right people.
How simple acts have the strength to turn around the situation, is what has been proven with this event. Many a times, it feels a big task to protect our Environment, and that too while seeing majority people damaging it with mindless acts. The key lies in taking small initiatives. The event gives me strength to be persistent, no matter what others are doing. Thanks for sharing.