In the past, planting shade trees, constructing mosques and excavating large ponds were a part of social work around the country. It is common to find ancient banyan trees, mango trees, almond trees and "gaab" trees at intersections, mosque courtyards and along roadsides throughout the country.
I have seen many mosques with a gaab tree in the front yard but none as ancient as this one. While botanists could tell us its approximate age, speaking to the elderly people in the village, there is no doubt that this is a century-old tree
In this age of rapid change, I am always drawn to anything that is ancient. There is an ancient "gaab" (velvet apple or Indian persimmon) tree, in the courtyard of Ramzan Ali Chowdhury Mosque at Surma Pukur Par in Banshkhali, southern Chittagong which has always made me ponder on its unstinting contribution to the community, its age and history. I used to ask many elderly people in the village including my late grandfather about the tree. They could not say much about it except that they had seen it since their childhood in the same condition as it is now.
It is the oldest tree alive in the villages around. Many speculate it will be more than two hundred years old. I have seen many mosques with a gaab tree in the front yard but none as ancient as this one. While botanists could tell us its approximate age, speaking to the elderly people in the village, there is no doubt that this is a century-old tree. The signs of being century-old is visible at its trunk and branches.
“I saw the tree in the same condition in my childhood 65 years ago. There is nothing as old as the tree in the villages around,” said Mujibur Rahman, an author, Rotarian and education-administrator from Ratnapur village. “I have many memories with it, it occupies a special place in my heart. It has been providing us with its shade for generations, it is a heritage for Ratnapur village,” he added.
The round shape of its canopy looks amazing like a big umbrella with a diameter of about 50 feet. It makes a naturally cool outdoor space for sitting and chatting after prayers. Its branches and evergreen dense leaves stretch in such a way that rainwater cannot pass through. During rain if you take shelter under it, you will not get wet. During summer, people sit under it for relief from the scorching heat.
The tree continues to give its cooling shade to the mosque-goers and weary travellers sitting under it for rest. It has been silently observing the passage of time. It is now like a symbol of peace for the village.
There are many supernatural stories involving the tree. There is a school, graveyard, mosque and a big pond beside it called Surma Pukur. Surma Bibi was a woman who is said to have planted the tree after the mosque had been set up more than two hundred years ago. There were also old mango trees of the same age around the pond that have been cut down a decade or so ago.
Trees are the best gifts for mankind and this tree is an amazing example. It not only provides shade to the villagers and mosque goers, but also has been excellent niche for birds nesting and bees are often seen to make hives on it. I remember, in our childhood we used to jump from its branches into the pond. It was an exciting game for us when going bathing in the pond.
At the end of spring in March-April, it becomes very conspicuous when red-brown leaves appear. With those red leaves, flower blooms and honeybees and other insects are seen busy, but the tree bears no fruit. Many say this is a male tree.
Gaab or gaub trees are native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is a seedling plant that lives long and grows very slow. The fruits of it are round, flashy and astringent inside, yellowish when ripe. In English, it is called velvet apple, maybe because its outer part feels like velvet and the shape of it is like an apple.
This rich land of diverse flora and fauna is losing much of its biodiversity nowadays. Botanists and environmentalists are asking people to plant more of native plants, especially those that give fruits for us and become source for food and habitat for wildlife.
Old trees play a vital role in environment. They produce more oxygen and absorb more carbon dioxide from environment than young ones. Though in our childhood in 2000s, we saw many old and big trees at our village in Banshkhali, but now they are no longer there, almost all have been cut down.
In the recent years, Bangladesh has seen an increasingly high death toll caused by lightning strikes. Many experts say it is mainly because big, tall trees from the villages are cut down. It is important to save old trees for our environment and safety from lightning strikes. Let’s be a voice for saving old trees and plant more local trees this monsoon.
* Parvez Uddin Chowdhury is a development professional and climate activist.