A tree is my forest

On International Day of Forests, here is a little piece in praise of the tree that enlivens my day, every day…

To the north side of my house, a window opens to the welcoming green branches of a tree. And just like that, I am transported from my mundane room to a magical sylvan aura. This single tree gives me pleasure of a walk in a forest – it cools my eyes, gives solace to my heart and peace to my mind. It’s a very tall tree, from my first floor window the view of the greenery pans up to the sky and is still full of leaves and intersecting branches. It filters out noise from the other side, blocks the view of other buildings and lets only beautiful dappled sunlight. Anytime I look at it I find many small butterflies flitting from its leaf to leaf. There’s a small beehive hidden in its upper branches. Several small nests are tucked away among its branches and Tailorbirds, Sunbirds, Tits are its frequent visitors. Once in twilight when the tree was bare and leafless, I saw a Shikra feeding on its prey – a small mouse. A few days later, the tree is transformed – burgundy and lime green baby leaves have flushed its boughs.

I am still not sure which tree it is even though I have reference to its leaves, inflorescence, height, bole etc. It might be from the Laurel family but I am still in search for its exact species name. It’s important for me to know what species it is because it helps me to know a tree better, respect and appreciate it even more. UPDATE: This is a Karanj Tree (Millettia pinnata), also called Indian Beech Tree or Pongame Oiltree. It started to flower just a couple of days back and somehow the view of the blooming tree triggered some memory I didn’t know I had. It struck me that, “oh!, it’s a karanj tree!”, and so I looked it up and found myself correct. It happens to me – I see some unknown tree or flower or bird, and I just know what it is, maybe because I have read about it somewhere or seen its picture in some field guide, book or documentary. Anyway, I’m glad I finally know it. It’s going to flower profusely as it’s full of tiny buds – beautiful pastel purple/pink/white flowers. And, then, it’s going to be full of bees and butterflies. In my home state, Jharkhand, Karanj Honey is particularly famous, and beekeepers keep hive boxes in Karanj orchards so bee concoct that special mild fragrant honey which is also known to be medicinal. Needless to say, I love the karanj-flavoured honey.

A single tree can be a forest if you find solace looking at it and all the wildlife – nests, birds, bees, butterflies – that its branches support.