The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Sorry ending to a hoary sentinel

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Monday, Nov 03, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Sorry ending to a hoary sentinel

Swathi. V

Century-old ficus near Tank Bund rendered totally barren and left to wither away

Common practice
to kill trees by
injecting acid
Somebody must have tried the same with the tree

— PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Bare facts: The dried ficus tree near the Tank Bund has a tale to tell.

HYDERABAD: The tree stands like a lone battler in a vanquished army. Commuters on the Secretariat stretch cannot escape her striking presence near the junction. Chopped off to the last leaf, and drying away to death, she still presents the visual of dignity in defeat.

The greenery she lacks is compensated by three fresh saplings planted by her side and together, they represent the twin realities of life and death. Together, they also have a tale to tell.

The ficus was about 100 years old a few years ago when the city police decided she should be chopped off. Motive was to facilitate Ganesh procession on the way. As a preparatory measure, they began defoliating her — an act which was noticed by an officer from the then Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad.

After enquiring, the officer asked the workers to halt for a while and contacted the city police. Learning that the orders were from none other than the Commissioner of Police, he conveyed the matter to the then Municipal Commissioner Chitra Ramachandran.

She responded to this by requesting the Police Commissioner to stop and convinced him that the tree did not come in the way of the procession. Subsequently, the decision was revoked. Municipal authorities later constructed a plinth around the tree so that nobody would attempt to lay an axe in future.

However, the branches were rendered totally barren by then. The tree never threw out fresh shoots again and began to wither away. “It is a common practice to kill trees by injecting acid. Somebody must have tried the same with the tree. Otherwise, there was no reason for her death,” says the official, instrumental in saving the tree.

However, to preserve the memory of the Ficus, the municipal authorities in a rare gesture planted fresh saplings of the same genus around the now dying one.

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