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Vanaspathi-Lord of Forests

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by jayasala42, Mar 1, 2015.

  1. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Hindus prostrate seven holy forests, seven holy cities and seven oceans whenever they do mahasankalpam.Lord Siva is hailed as 'Vanaspathi( Lord of the forests)Shiva himself is described as a forest and his hair as green.Rudram and Chamakam of Yajurveda speaks highly of vrikshas( trees).
    Varahamihira in his Brihat samhita elaborates on trees used for making images of gods.


    The slokas recited while cutting the tree for making 'icons' reads as under:


    " o tree,you have been selected for the worship,( through an image)of a particular deity.Salutations to you!This worship offered by me in accordance to the scriptures may kindly be accepted by you.May all the living beings that dwell in this tree accept the offering of worship and depart to another tree for residing.May they pardon us now.We bow to them!"



    Now a days every one talks about 'environment care' and 'the slogan 'of'grow more trees'.
    Is it possible in this urbanisation to grow trees in our houses?Of course small shrubs can be grown.


    [COLOR=#000000][FONT=times new roman][CENTER][CENTER][COLOR=#444444][FONT=Georgia]We have been living in our house for nearly 45 years. All the houses in our street have three coconut trees, one or two mango trees, sappota ,papaya and some flowering plants.30 years were very smooth and comfortable. We had plenty of coconuts, mangoes, raw and ripe, and flowers for pooja.[CENTER][COLOR=#000][FONT=HelveticaNeue]The trouble started when individual houses got converted into flats or 2 or 3 floors were constructed in the same house.The coconut tree which started growing curved towards sunlight occupying the neighbour's territory, which was never been considered an impediment all these years,was felt as a nuisance.Coconuts and heavy leaf sheaths falling into the neighbour's water tank caused heavy damages as the tank started leaking and the water pipes broke down.Complaints to the nearby police stations resulted in cutting down branches or the entire tree to avoid conflicts between neighbours.
    Now the trees have become old,yield is poor and have attained the same status of uncared for senior citizens.


    Tree climbers are very few in number and they charge Rs250/-to climb a tree and the yield will be around 30 coconuts .With cholesterol consciousness, many have stopped using coconuts for cooking.It is very difficult for the householders either to sell the coconuts or preserve the coconuts or to take efforts to extract oil from the same.
    In March, April urchins hit at mangoes and simply run away sometimes breaking the glass doors of windows.
    Pests and worms are very common in mango trees . For the past three years some strange insects and worms enter the house causing allergy and itching.All the children suffered with high fever. The remedy suggested by Govt depts yielded no positive results. Irrespective of our understanding ,and the shady cool atmosphere,my neighbour, aged 80, decided to cut down all the trees which he had grown with much love and affection all these 40 years.. on the auspicious Mahashivarathri day. The cutters also showed some Karpoora Aarthi to the trees.They used electrical saw to cut the trees.Within 10 hrs all the trees were totally uprooted.The owner paid around Rs 20000/- to cut, transport the logs and dispose of the green leaves.A big log of wood fell on his motor room and the entire pumpset was damaged beyond repair.The parapet wall in our terrace was damaged beyond repairs.

    Now the house is bright, sunny and bereft of all natural beauty without the sounds of birds nesting on them.'Everything is going away from me;children have settled elsewhere;now the plants which I nourished for 50 years have left me."he said chokingly.
    .
    Every asset becomes a liability in some point of time.
    It is 10 days since our neighbour cut off all the trees. I saw a small bird sitting on my window .The bird perhaps was occupying the neighbour's mango tree so long.Having lost the accommodation it was looking up where to go. There are a few trees in our house and that of adjacent neighbour.When driven out it flew, perched on our coconut tree and another mango tree, but came back to the same window again.It would have easily flown and started residing on other trees..Perhaps it was thinking about future plans.
    While even a small bird does not want to change the tree in which it has been living, we can very well imagine how human beings feel when they are forced to move to another house or Old Age home.
    While we begin growing trees with great enthusiasm,many cannot cope up with nurturing, manuring, use pest control methods and even to simply water the trees during water scarcity


    Mounts of coconut leaves and mango leaves are strewn throughout giving cool shade for any reptile to creep in.


    Some flower, fruit vendors or even fish vendors use the shady road for marketing their product, sometimes set up a small table etc and unauthorisedly occupy the frontage of the house leading to unwanted elements crowding before the house- a challenge to the security of the house.
    After cutting down all the trees one can shout at top most voice
    " A person inhales oxygen equivalent to three cylinders of oxygen, each cylinder costing rs 700/- For a year @ rs 2100 per day, it may work out Rs 766500/ and a conservative estimate of Rs 5 crores in an average life of 65 years.This is the monetary of value of 'FREE OXYGEN'that plants bestow on us.'Let us respect, appreciate and protect plants for the welfare of the humanity'.


    Jayasala 42
















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  2. Srama

    Srama Finest Post Winner

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    Dear JS ma'm,

    I feel the pain you feel when you wrote this snippet. Every time I visit India, I see the concrete jungle growing and when it pours and I can smell the earth, I wonder why people don't want that bliss more. I am acquainted with a couple of people who break the branches from the neighbor's houses because the leaves fall into their compound and I do know of one instance where a tree was cut down for the same reason and guess what, the govt planted some trees on the street and this neighbor who forced the tree to be cut down from the other, has now leaves in his house because of the tree on the street!

    I do hope some sense prevails and we continue to grow more trees than bringing them down for vertical space.
     
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  3. butterflyice

    butterflyice Local Champion Staff Member Platinum IL'ite

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    @jayasala madam, you have captured what India used to be and what it currently is. This is such a moving description. I cannot help admiring the wisdom that our ancestors had. That sloka blows me away in its expression of gratitude for what's given and prayer that other living beings find another home. And now we have people who will get trees cut only so they wouldnt have to sweep the leaves away. I do hope people will change....

    The description of your neighbour brought tears to my eyes....
     
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  4. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Srama,
    Not even a line in my snippet is exggeration. That is the practical reality. Some people do not even leave a muddy spavce. They simply cover from wall to wall with concrete and start shouting if leaves either from the road trees or those of neighbours fall into their clean floor space.'We don't have water even to drink'.These idiots are growing plants' is the loud remark they pass on.
    Of course there are certain practical difficulties, I don't deny.
    In about 15 years you may not find a single tree in our neighbourhood.

    Jayasala 42
     
  5. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Butterflyice,

    Thank you for the wonderful response.Now also Shiva is Vanaspathi, but the vana is that 'of concrete jungle.I just felt hurt when the cutters broke coconut and showed karpoor aarthai before starting the process.
    I told him " the job of cutting the tree itself is a sin. Why do you want God's grace for it?'
    Pat came the reply. We know amma. It is just a prayer that the process should not harm anyone or no one should fall from the 100 ft tall tree causing life risk.
    Cutting is our job and we have to do it perfectly.
    In his angle he was correct.The remorse expressed by the owner who hails from Kerala, and took extra care to grow the trees from 1965.Now things have gone out. He has become aged and so the trees. Children have settled abroad.
    The house used to be very cool even in peak summer and it was somewhat dark inside the house.
    Now the house looks bright,the man has become dim and gloomy.This is life.

    Jayasala 42
     
  6. suryakala

    suryakala IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Smt @jayasala42 ,

    What a lovely way of recognising the presence of God in every one of His creations, including the trees, and seeking their pardon before cutting them!

    Sad, the trees are giving way to concrete jungles. That single bird on your window is the silent speaker of so many thoughts and feelings. But I don't see how this urbanisation and development could be avoided? 1.25 billion people to be fed, accommodated and provided for! That is nearly 1/5th of the population of the whole world.

    And we have to grow. At double digits to catch up with developed world!

    Losing forests and trees...I think very sad, but we can't escape.
     
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