Autobiography Of A Banyan Tree

I am an old banyan tree. All my neighbours call me good old grandfather. I am two hundred years old have outstretched my powerful arms over many trees and cast my shadow across many other small trees. People come to me to rest in my cool shadow. Many years ago the place where I am standing now was a dense forest. There were many trees Sal, Segun, Mahogany, etc. etc. It was so dense that sunlight could not peep through. Even in the daytime it remained dark as night. There were so many animals there We were very happy here because there was full of peace.

But our peace did not remain for long. A group of greedy people once came and planned to cut all my friends as they can mark costly furniture. When I heard their conversation I became so much afraid, sad and counted my hours for death. One morning they came with many modern tools for cutting trees and started their work. One after another they cut down my friends and took away their bodies in truck to sawmills. I just remained numb but could do nothing to save my friends. It was such a great shock to me. One after one my friends were compelled to leave me. I kept myself ready for my turn. But I was surprised they didn't touch me. I heard they were telling that it was their custom to worship old banyan tree. So they kept me alone in this forlorn burial ground of my friends with their tiny remains which scattered here and there I just shedded my tears to see their remains and lived with their memories. I looked to the sky and asked God why did he save me to bear such a painful burden and prayed to him to kill me at once, so that I can join my friends in heaven. But alas! God remained deaf to my prayer.

After that years after years went over. I grew much more old. People came here to make their houses and in this way a village grew. I became very much happy as I could have some friends that means I could have get the touch of 'life'. The villagers decided to make a small temple of Lord Shiva just beneath me. So they made it. Everyday the villagers came and worshipped Lord Shiva. There were so many types of people old men, women, girls, boys and so on. I just became their friend. They touched me, sat at my trunk, small boys and girls had a swing on my branches. I felt so happy. But one incident made me sad again. One night came a young woman. She was just twenty or twenty one years old. She sat at my trunk and cried for a long time. Her every sob made me sad, more sad I couldn't understand what to do. I tried to console her by waving my branches and thereby fanning a cool air to cool her but that was a fruitless effort. She couldn't understand neither could be consoled. After sometime she hanged herself from one of my branches and strangled to death. I could do nothing. I was feeling so helpless. In the morning people found her dead and took her body away. I cannot forget it even today. But I am so much unlucky-one night an earthquake broke out. It devastated the village within an hour. Only a few people escaped but they did not stay there as the Government declared the area as earthquake-prone. So they left. I am surprised. I remain as it is. The temple remains, so Lord Shiva remains. I am much more old now. I just remain alone without any friends. I look at the sky and ask God how long will I live in this world and see so much devastations and pain? I am very feeble now. Fungus and insects are making my body frail and weak. My mind is shadowed with pain and despair. Birds come to me and sing but there is no din and bustle around me. No children come to me to play, no laughter greets me, no people come to me and sit at my trunk. I feel abandoned and lonely. I just keep myself busy in reminiscing my glorious days with friends singing song merrily, "I am a tree short and stout/Here is my trunk, there is my sprout/Take me by the branch and cut me down".

I just remember my glorious days amongst the village people. I shared their feelings, their happiness, their pangs.

Now I feel myself cursed as I am living so long. I have seen so much death, so much devastations, so much agony and pain. I am waiting for the call from God and waiting to bid adieu to all my pains.

Before I finish my autobiography I would like to narrate you a funny incident which did occur during my past days when I was surrounded by laughter, merriment and friends to standby I was not so old then as I am now. I was inquisitive to look into lives around me. As I have long and sprawling branches spreading far and wide I could look into the lives and incidents which occurred far away from my area where I flourished. Far away there was a locality with a large pond with crystal clear water. It was carefully maintained as it was the bathing place of aristocrat ladies living nearby. They used to bath here, talked, laughed and had jokes among themselves. It was a nice past time for me looking at the beauty and lusty lives they had. One day to my bewilderment, I saw a crow pick up a left apart gold chain from the side of the pond, and flew at its best till it rested on a branch of mine. It waited till the persons persuading him could catch sight of it and when it was sure they had. it dropped the chain in a hole at the bottom part of mine. I could not make out what for it did so but soon could understand the wit of the cunning crow. The persuaders reached the spot and with sticks, spears searched the hole thoroughly. They did find a large snake, pricked it out of the hole, killed it and recovered the gold chain. Then I could understand the trick the cunning crow played. The crow couple had nest on a branch of mine and every year whenever the lady crow laid eggs the snake used to eat up all. I could hear the crow couples' crowing of agony time and again. Being disgusted the crow had hit upon a cunning plan to put an end to its recurring agony. Thus ends my story.

Is not interesting to suit my interesting autobiography? I hope my listeners would be amused.