Century-old tree in Bagherpara

Sixty-four-year-old Ayub Ali has been seeing this mammoth tree since his childhood. No one knows its name or its species. Everyone calls it stranger tree (‘achin gach’). Though people don’t know the identity of the tree, it has turned into a ‘tree of wishes’. Located on Sitekhali village in Basuari union of Jashore’s Bagherpara upazila, there are legends on the age of the tree.

The tree was gigantic previously. Over time, its branches have broken by storms at different times and it has got smaller. As present, the tree spreads out its branches over 15 decimals of lands. All sorts of birds nestle in the tree. Children swing on its branches. During summer, villagers rest in its shade.

Sitekhali village is 17.5 km away from Jashore town. Charavita Bazar is 14 km east to the district Sadar. A little distance away to the south, the Basuari-Sitekhali Primary School is located by the road. The huge tree keeps its head high next to the western wall of the school. None of the locals knows the age of the tree. Some claim it is 300 years old. Some say it is 400 years old. There are lots of tales about the tree. People now tell the tales passed down from their ancestors. But no one knows who planted the tree or whether it just sprung up naturally.

Ayub Ali Saitekhali said previously people offered chickens to the tree to fulfill their wishes. Legend goes that people’s wishes were fulfilled when they offered chickens to the tree. Villagers cooked the chickens and ate altogether. Ayub Ali himself also took part in such feasts many times.

The height of the tree is approximately 60 feet. The width at the bottom is about 46 feet. Its leaves look like small cinnamomum tamala. The tree has no flowers. It bears fruit like dried grapes once a year. The fruit when young is brown and when ripe is black. Birds fill there air with the chirping when they come to eat the ripened fruit. They scatter the seeds around the tree. Plenty of birds stay in the tree at night. Local people have erected a concrete border around the tree where they relax.

Forest officer of Bagherpara upazila, Md Ismail Hossain, said any several-hundred-old tree is called century-old. The tree of Sitekhali is a century-old one. However, its name remains unknown. Maybe, it’s a tree of banyan speices, he added.

A recent visit found the tree bearing fruit. Birds were chirping. Two people were even having a chat in the cold weather. One of them, 60-year-old Abdul Gaffar, said he has grown up hearing stories about the tree from his forefathers. He would play under it. It hasn't changed since then. Their forefathers have introduced it to them as 'achin gaach'. Nobody bothered about the name and identity of the tree, but all believe that the tree is no less than three or four centuries old. It has become a part of the village family.

*This report appeared in the print edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna