Mr. Tree has a tale to tell
KAVITA SIVARAMAKRISHNAN
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Munni and Chirpy heard so much about the wonderful city from Grandpa. So, they decided to check it out.
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Grandpa was always telling Munni and Chirpy about the beautiful city he grew up in, so they decided to explore it for themselves and off they flew.
They flew and flew and finally reached the city.
"Well, I think we are in the place Grandpa spoke so much about, but why does it look so different from what Grandpa described? It is polluted and dusty. And look at the skyscrapers and the multi-storeyed buildings! The trees are few and far between," said Munni.
They were so tired, they decided to rest on a tree. "Just look at this poor tree. It looks deserted and spooky. The obnoxious fumes emitted from these monstrous vehicles, no doubt the birds have left. I think I am going to faint," said Chirpy.
"If you feel faint, imagine how I should feel," a voice groaned. The birds were surprised to know that it was the old, haggard tree, talking.
Cut them down!
"Many years ago, so many of us were planted. It took a long while to grow up big and sturdy. It was our duty to check the pollution of the city to a very great extent. It is because of us, that the city still listens to the chirping of the birds and squirrels and people get some respite from the harsh rays of the sun. But look what these thankless humans have done. They cut down so many of my friends because they wanted to widen the roads. Many sturdy friends of mine were destroyed. Don't people know how many years it takes for a tree to grow so big?" asked the tree. "Surely there must be some alternatives, they could have at least pruned our branches or transplanted us. But these thankless people with their modern equipment felled them without a second thought. And so much for the road widening system, just look at the present existence of roads, everywhere there is confusion and mayhem, the traffic and pollution is worse than before, there is no respite from the heat and the entire place burns like a furnace," raged the tree.
"It's their own doing after all, one shouldn't feel sorry for them," said Munni.
"And they have not spared us either, the lucky few including me that are left alive are slowly being choked to death by all the concrete slabs that surround us, our roots are clogged and there's no way we can absorb the nutrients."
"These people seem to be educated, then why are they so ignorant?" asked Chirpy. "They are just callous and insensitive. With global warming, it will take only a few more years for this place to become a desert," said Munni.
"Will planting more saplings solve the situation?" questioned Chirpy. "Planting more saplings is good but if they are neglected then I think the whole effort is wasted. How can we defend ourselves?"
Munni and Chirpy felt sad. This was not the city their Grandpa had described. They felt sorry for the tree, at least they had wings to fly away. Just then they saw a group of people, young and old, with pickaxes and crowbars working on the concrete slabs around the trees. Seeing them, the tree let out a whoop of joy and the birds had faith that there was hope of avoiding a catastrophe.
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