Tale of an Arborby Gaurav Jain, October 2003
I was born over 200 years ago, from a seed that flew from my mother’s fruit several miles away. I was shielded under the seed-shell for several months, hidden under the thick bed of dry leaves covering the crust of the crater. This was necessary for me, as it kept me cool inside, giving me necessary nutrition before birth. During the deciding days of my birth, I was luckily saved from the eyes of the ravenous baboons that used to relish the taste of my seed. Eventually, the sun rose upon the dawn of my birthday…
During my childhood years, I got to learn quite a few lessons from this world, which, at that time, was still alien to me. I escaped several dangers, both from being consumed by the famished herds, and from being decimated by the not too infrequent droughts and storms that prevailed in the region. I lost many of my young branches but managed to grow replacements presto. The most memorable part of my childhood was seeing myself grow taller and stronger by the years. Some of my fellow-trees in close vicinity, whom I had to “look up to” once upon a time, were dwarfed by my fast growth, and now they had to “look up to” me!
It was during those momentous years, that the nimble baboons played hide-n-seek on my branches, enjoying the sheer pleasure of life. I gave my verdant foliage to the passing-by herds of Elephants and Giraffes, who, with their taller reach, could steal the better part of the meal from my branches. I remember one day, when an innocent elephant calf was trying desperately to reach my tall branches for food, but failed in his attempts. And as if out of thin air, his mother, a gigantic tusker, strolled into the scene, tore apart one of my branches with a turn of her rock-ribbed trunk, and fed it to her poor child. I was almost into tears, having witnessed a great example of tender motherhood.
My branches have been shelter to countless birds, which would stop over for a minute or two, to catch up with their breaths in between their long journeys. During the breeding seasons, I even played host to innumerable bird nests, in which their offspring were born, and grew in great poise. I have experienced countless weathers and climates, thunders and storms, springs and summers…
IDEAThe plot of this story is based on the Ngorongoro crater in northern Tanzania, which I had visited during my stay in East Africa. MORALThe moral of the story is that a true feeling of fulfillment for a person who is leaving this world only comes if he/she has spent his/her life in serving others. Serving others provides the greatest sense of fulfillment, and should be the prime goal of our lives. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today as I stand here in the heart of this elephantine crater, I wish to unveil my tale to you. I stand bare and parched, with a frail stem and weakened, abraded roots. But I was not always like this. I was once a handsome young beech, with green leaves and withy branches.
My crust had become old and brittle, and I had started sprouting out, all-excited about what this new world had in store for me! First my then-microscopic roots started making way under the floor of leaves, exploring the warmth of Mother Earth. And gradually my head appeared out of the bed of leaves, and I took my first breath of fresh air. I was again fortunate enough to have become exposed to the world during a season when most of the hungry herbivores like the Wildebeest and the Zebra were away in lookout for the scarce sources of water elsewhere, to keep themselves alive. It could have been a tough season for me too, had my roots not accidentally hit upon a hidden river flowing deep beneath the surface of the earth. So I grew like a Prince, not baffled by the dangers, my stem growing sturdy, and my lush green leaves admiring their fizzy colors against the severe climate of the region.
I was now fully grown and erect, with my waistline crossing 5 meters! My branches were gigantic, and full of dense leaves and fruits. My roots were spread under my shadow, holding a firm grip deep beneath the surface of the earth. I poised here like a Monarch, my arms high up, my shoulders resting stalwartly on my mammoth stem, exhibiting confidence. The large shadow I generated under the gazing sun was nothing short of miraculous. I was quickly growing into a hot favorite for all the creatures of the region, and envy to my poor fellow neighbors!
I have also been shelter to those haughty cheetahs, who would occasionally drag the pray over to my hulky branches, and devour their meat in peace. In fact, I did not particularly enjoy being the deathbed of another poor animal, but accepted it as a service to the cheetahs. My beautiful body would get stained in the blood dripping out of the dead victim, but I waited for the monsoons to arrive and wash away all those blemishes, and make me as handsome as ever!
Today I am 250 years old, and almost nearing departure from this world. But I am happy to have got the opportunity to server so many different creatures in this thrilling world. I am blithe about having been able to make a difference to the lives of so many comrades, without even budging from my place for two and a half centuries. I believe in the philosophy of serving others, and have tried my best to follow it in my own special way. On this day, so many nostalgic memories are popping up in mind, and I am going to take each one of those to God’s abode. May God bless you all!
