The final fall...

 25th June 2024

Today will be a day I will never forget, for today witnessed an artificial calamity and a murder.

Cherith and hubby were going to get his picture clicked for the school diary. He saw his granny coming from the other side and insisted her to join them. He ran behind her inside the gate pestering her and I was standing at the balcony when I heard a thundering crack.

I helplessly saw a tree outside our neighbour's house going downwards. Within seconds it hit the terrace parapet of the house on the opposite side and crushed it after damaging a car outside.

My mother-in-law, husband and cherry ran out to see what came crashing down and were shocked and thankful at the same time. Shocked to see this ages old silver Oak fall like this and grateful that neither they nor anyone else were hurt.

I was flabbergasted after what I had witnessed. I call this an artificial calamity because its our doing. We have caused it. A closer look at the base reveals the absence of roots.

A few years back, the whole area was being concretized and none, absolutely none of us thought or suggested of leaving a little natural space, the mud around the trees so they could continue to receive their nutrition. Without a single drop of water reaching the roots, they dried and died and the tree only stood hollow. It had withstood much heavier winds before today but perhaps today it couldn't bear it any longer and made the final fall.

The sight of that tree made me think how we forget our roots while trying to achieve greater things in life. Without proper nourishment of trust, attention, affection, care and understanding, the foundations of our relationships dry up creating a void that results in a quiet yet fatal crash. The social and societal concrete around us never gives the opportunity to water our roots. It's vital for us to leave personal space, so that the soil of our bonds aren't left thirsty.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when all the people from around started surrounding the long dead tree. Some calling electricity board, some contacting the municipality. 

The old lady who had nurtured this tree came outside, touched it and wept as she saw the twin tree lying lifeless just like she had witnessed the death of her 2 sons. She couldn't see the chaos and quietly went inside.

Now the people standing around were not only planning to clear this tree after ruthlessly cutting it into pieces but also shamelessly planned to get another tree chopped that stood right next to this one.

They argued that this one was soon going to fall and it may hurt someone.

So after tearing the fallen, the men with the electric saw planned on eliminating the second tree that guarded the old lady's house. And within minutes I witnessed the murder right before my eyes. The saw sliced between the tree, at different places, sometimes cutting it's branches, sometimes it's thick trunk. The wood within tempted the workers around while I could feel it's pain as it scattered it's dust clinging on to the thread between life and death.

I felt I had written the falling of that tree and the slaughter of this tree in my poem some time back, like dejavu. That time all I could think of was how beautifully, lovingly nature had created, provided for and flourished for us and how cruelly and carelessly we were reciprocating. And may be that's why nature has been trying new ways to decimate us. The tsunamis, floods, droughts, the epidemics and the unforgiving COVID pandemic demonstrates nature's increasing strength and our growing weakness..

Silently praying for all the souls of nature...

CHS