Since the time of my school days, there's this Neem Tree I have been used to seeing in the temple near to my place. From the terrace of my home, I can see this tree..& a patch of different other trees including the beautiful Champa. All pretty huge,old & all lovely green. The neem tree is the most visible. From my random rants, you'll know how much a nature person I am.
Getting back, Those used to be the times when we weren't yet that scared of robberies & all kinds of crazy crimes that we keep hearing of now. It still was a safe world... & it was a given for us to sleep on the terrace in the cool summer nights, under the beautiful stars & the sometimes moon-lit & sometimes bare except for a few twinlking stars sky.
This neem tree is the sight I always saw right in front of my eyes. Huge, Dark, making all kinds of whooshing sounds when the winds passed it. It also seemed to be looking right back at me. I have noticed this tree at different stages of its life...my life.. :) , seen it at different parts of the day & at different seasons throughout... I have felt it smile, giving shelter, observe, shed, & grow old.
I remember this was the tree which we children used to be scared of. Coz for us to sleep, we were fed on 'sui jao, nahi to bhoot aavi jase' [Translated: 'Sleep else the ghost will appear.'] Being the curious kinds, I wanted to know, 'Bhoot kya che' [where's the ghost] n it was ['bhoot aa neem na jhaad ma rye che' [On the neem tree does the ghost reside]
The thrill that I was brave enought to sleep on the terrace with the ghost with visible distance, was a high then. :) [ofcourse with the rest of the family being there too..did provide a lot of comfort in the mind. :D]
Yet, I fet this excitement I shall not forget. though a lil scared too...I always used to sneak open my eyes a bit & keep looking at the neem tree, as to find out where would where would the ghost appear from...where does it stay...will it appear from the gaps in between the 2 trunks..or from the branches which seem bereft of leaves? Will it swoosh its way, when there used to be sounds of winds among the leaves..or will it come without me knowing. Most importantly, how would it look like? Will I be able to see it..recognise it.? Oh! I used to have troubled sleep wondering all this up.
Yet I used to love the tree becoz I used to wake up to the Koel's Cukoo which used to be almost always perched itself right in the first branch visible to us. As if it really was giving us a wake up call. I remember I used to to look & look.
The time of looking went past & so did our sleep habits.
[Now we depend more on the Air-cooler cooling us rather than the natural Air cooler... : ]
Years have gone by & so has the fear. Yet the neem tree still gives me a smile & reminds of so many summer night memories & the other memories which I have got from it. Today when I see my colony getting commercial...or if to refer to a colony friend's description, 'Manhatan in making'; I wish & hope this tree & the other trees remain... & so shall I bring my children & tell them tales of it... to let them build their own memories looking at the very same dear old Neem tree.
Long Live Trees..Nature & Greenery! :)
[Bottomline: Nature is precious than we realise, Protect it...Respect it.]
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