When a mighty tree falls, residents build a memorial

According to MLA KS Ravichandran, the banyan tree at the park was nearly 150 years old. “Following the cyclone, the tree fell and destroyed one wall. We tried our best to restore the tree but to no avail. It took us a week to saw off the branches and now only the bottom part of the tree remains,” he explained. This will be varnished to make into a memorial for the tree, which will have a short concrete wall around it for safety purposes.

For the locals, the tree was an integral part of their lives. “The tree’s branches grew all the way over the roof of my shop. Children used to climb up on the tree and hang off the branches daily. I have lived here for 20 years. When the tree fell, we all felt really sad. It was like a daily part of our lives had died,” said R Sripaul, a resident and shopkeeper.

The park, too, will be receiving a revamp as it was damaged from the cyclone as well. A new pathway and a badminton court will be established. More than 100 varieties of herbs are being planted to form a small herb garden and various tree varieties are being planted to replenish what fell during the cyclone. The work started four months back.

“The surrounding areas have slums and many of the children used to go to the park. We are trying to restore the park to make it accessible to people across all ages,” said Ravichandran.