Breathtaking yellow

AS usual early in the morning, I opened the door and looked at the trees on the road. The four Sarakonnei or Cassia fistula trees were all in flower. The gorgeous golden yellow flowers glowed like burnished gold in the summer sun.

An elderly man was below the trees struggling to bring down the flowers with a long stick and the sight spoiled the day for me.

I went out with bucket of water to water the tree saplings planted a week ago by the older trees. "Please do not pluck the flowers," I politely told the man.

He looked offended. "I am plucking flowers to do pooja," he said defiantly. "These are not your trees."

"I planted the trees for everybody and I am looking after them," I said, watering a sapling.

The man did not say anything further. He looked at me thoughtfully.

Cassia fistula is one of the most beautiful flowering trees we have. The British called it the Indian Laburnum but I always felt that our tree was more beautiful than the Laburnum of the temperate zone. Our tree is also popularly known by the more descriptive name Golden Shower. A row of Cassia fistula by the road is a breathtaking sight. When I planted them four years ago they flowered in the third year.

In Chennai, raising avenue trees is often heartbreaking. There are woodcutters, firewood gatherers, flower pickers and vandals who simply cannot tolerate anything growing by the roads.

I have quarrelled with people who have damaged trees. The trees should have grown bigger by now but for the handiwork of the vandals. A branch of a tree was scorched when someone set fire to the rubbish piled high in a garbage bin nearby.

When in flower the trees catch the attention of people.

As I finished watering the saplings I saw the man standing near the trees and watching me. He came towards me and in a thoughtful way said: "I will not come here to collect flowers again."

I did not reply. Did I succeed in converting one more man into a tree lover? If I am successful, more trees like the four sarakonnei in front of my house will bloom helping the passer-by see God in one of our very own and beautiful flowering trees.

O. T. RAVINDRAN

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