journal d'une transition

1404

We have cared for the Banyan tree for the last 17 or so years. The hollow main trunk was there already. Narad had stuffed lime brick jelly into the hollow main trunk, which had only encouraged the process of rot to go on unseen, until we removed the lime and carefully cleaned out the rot, termites, bugs and the fungus, cleared the openings for air ventilation and painted the inside with amounts of neem oil to protect it. Narad had announced in his write-up on the AV Net that he ‘was not an expert on banyan trees’ and that ‘an expert should be called’ to assess the tree. Therefore several people had approached him, and I had written to him an e-mail: ‘… I believe that it would be simple common sense and it would be horticulturally sound to have the expert’s opinion FIRST, before you do anything to the tree. You are saying that you yourself are not an expert on banyan trees and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to make any mistakes. I would kindly like to request you to wait with any treatment of the Banyan tree. Let the expert be found. Then the next right step can be taken…’

No reply of course.

The Banyan tree is an entity, a presence, a being much vaster than a little human being. The barbaric nature of the action of this group against a Great Soul like the Banyan tree has definitely repercussions on all of us in Auroville. There is fun and laughter now, but the Universe is responding.

Walter”

Note: I remembered how, not so very long ago, one afternoon, as I was inside the Banyan tree’s main trunk, cleaning and applying oil on the inner surfaces, Kireet, visiting Auroville, had come walking by on his way to the Matrimandir, accompanied by Arjun, holding hands; Arjun had heard me inside the tree, or else he had known I was there beforehand, and he stopped and called me out, asking Kireet to watch at the same time; so, when I moved up from where I was crouching and looked out through the southwards opening the tree had formed with new bark, Kireet saw me, as if rising out of the tree and he was enchanted; this was a genuine surprise to him; he had never imagined a person could be inside a tree! And he went on exclaiming about the psychic being, and was filled with affection and delighted laughter… This small event now seemed as if from another world, or another life. Now was serious business! And Kireet had brought it, or helped to bring it about…

A week later, Jithendra too wrote an Open Letter, which he addressed to the official groups concerned:

*Our Sacred Banyan Tree – Auroville, 24 th February 2004 – to Matrimandir Steering Committee, AV Working Committee, Auroville Council – from Jithendu Kumar, Matrimandir Nursery:

‘Be joyful, you plants that bear flowers and those who bear fruit. Like mares that win the race together, the growing plants will carry us across.’ (Rig Veda, 10.97.3)

“Why is our banyan tree sacred?