This story was inspired by the blog post ‘Flame of the Forest: Sparking Passions‘ and explores the relationships with Nature that connect us and give us a sense of belonging.
Mira was bored—not because she didn’t have anything to do, but quite the contrary. She was working on her science assignment, which had to be submitted that night. She also had to practise for her Bharatanatyam dance exam (junior level), which was coming up next week. Mira wanted to make her guru, Vidushi Vidya Ramesh, proud. She also had to prepare for the pre-board exams.
Mira was enchanted. She stayed on the fifth floor of an apartment complex that housed 1,500 apartments. She looked around casually, opened the windows, and felt the warmth of the sun. That felt nice! Her eyes rested on a tree. She observed the flowers.
“Oh! I know these flowers! We used to play water gun with these orange flowers!” she thought.
Photo by Vyashnavi from iNaturalist
Mira wore a light jacket and stepped out to go near the tree, with some excitement. She saw there was a ‘katte’—a circular seating arrangement. She noticed that the bark was sturdy. “Be strong,” it seemed to say. She looked up. “It’s the water squirt flower tree,” she reminisced. The leaves gently swayed as if to confirm. One bright orange flower drifted gently and fell upon her. She took it as a blessing.
Her days were never boring again. She sat under the tree with her sketchbook. She journaled the visitors—the purple sunbird that visited with its partner at 3 p.m. every day; the parakeets that made enough noise to wake up anyone taking an afternoon nap; an occasional bulbul with its majestic crown; and some lively squirrels. She even spotted the Indian paradise flycatcher with its long tail.
When no one else was around, Mira practised dance under the tree, and when the branches swayed, Mira felt she had a fellow dancer as a companion.
She sometimes took her books down to study under the tree. The tree had become her trusted friend. Mira was happy— sitting, studying, dancing, and sketching under the tree.
One evening, she saw a few children point to the tree, and one of them said, “It is the
African tulip tree, a non-native tree.”
Mira looked at the tree and said, “What’s in a name? You are native to this land now. Look at the number of guests you receive every day and the number of residents who have made you their home!”
A bright orange flower fell on her. The branches swayed happily.
She knew her tree agreed.
Flower of the African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata). Photo by AmeyaR from iNaturalist
Note: SeasonWatch does NOT promote planting exotic and invasive species.
About the author: Jayanthi Sridhar is an educator, practices and facilitates gratitude journaling sessions and enjoys slow moments in Nature.
