In 1966, Sundara Ramaswamy’s Tamil novel ‘Oru Puliyamarathin Kathai’ told the tale of a tamarind tree that stood at a busy crossroads of a small town in Tamil Nadu, a silent witness to generations of human rivalries, political battles and the march of development that finally reduced it to a stump.Six decades later, the residents of Madurai are fighting to write a different ending for another silent witness — a 107-year-old banyan tree along the Sellur-Kulamangalam road. Students and environment activists gathered on Monday to celebrate the birthday of one of the last green centenarians in the locality. Organized as a ‘Green Nature Festival’ by Neer Nilagal Padukappu Iyakkam (waterbody protection movement) and local public welfare trusts, the event saw children from Rajaji Middle School cut a birthday cake, take eco protection pledges, and decorate the sprawling centenarian with colourful lights.Led by Neer Nilagal founder R Abubakkar, organizers distributed notebooks and fresh saplings, turning what could have been a simple gathering into a campaign for urban conservation.“About eight banyan trees once lined the bunds of the Sellur kanmai and adjacent roadways, providing a thick green canopy,” says Abubakkar.“Over the past decades, with road widening projects and other developments, the other century-old banyans are gone. This 107-year-old giant is the last one standing.”Abubakkar says he has been hosting birthday celebrations on July 27 or July 28 since 2019, hoping it will prevent the tree from “suffering the same fate”.“No one knows the exact date or age of the tree. I am 64 and when I was a child, I remember playing around this tree. It was large even then,” says Abubakkar. “I have estimated the age based on old pictures and infrastructure projects. It’s possibly older.”A nesting site for species such as crows, pigeons, and cuckoos, the tree continues to face threats to its survival, say environmentalists. “Garbage is dumped and burned at its base. The power department personnel frequently prune large branches to keep overhead utility lines clear,” says Abubakkar. “Holding the birthday celebrations is a reminder for the youth of the heritage that is around them and a request to preserve it.”
