On T Narasipur Road, the national highway connecting Mysore to Tamil Nadu, one might have come across an old banyan tree. The impressive tree in a rustic setting, with the Chamundi Hills in the backdrop, is certainly a place one can choose to refresh oneself with some pure oxygen. The branches that spread out offer cool comfort, especially in summer, and the quiet environs beckon you. Needless to say, the centuries old tree has been witness to the vicissitudes that Mysore has passed through.

“The tree, however, is today caught in a familial football of sorts with Madaiah of nearby Chikkahalli locked in a row with his nephew Nagaraju, over the tree’s future. This has put hurdles to preserving the tree. While Madaiah is all for protecting the heritage tree, Nagaraju is in favour of making a fast buck, thanks to soaring real estate prices where the tree is situated,” says Ramalingu of the Committee for the Protection of Heritage Trees.
Ramalingu, along with K M Veerappa and K P Sadanand, has been making intensive efforts to identify and protect trees in Mysore that have not only survived the test of time, but are fit enough to live many years to come.
“The major drawback in our initiative to protect the ‘devara alada mara’ has been the lackadaisical attitude of the Forest Department in protecting the tree that spreads over an area of about three-fourth of an acre (40 guntas). While 28 guntas belong to Madaiah’s family, the tree has over the years spread itself into others’ lands too,” he says.

Concrete fears
Ramalingu fears a time when buildings may start taking shape in the land surrounding the tree. A visit to the family, however, shows that there is an undercurrent of disagreement over the future of the tree, though externally there is a semblance of unity when they declare in chorus that they are not ready to sell off that piece of land, come what may.

“We were offered about Rs 1.25 crore. We have not bitten the bait, since we all want to protect the tree which is a symbol of tradition that has been nurtured for centuries by our forefathers. I belong to the fourth generation that has lived with the tree,” says Nagaraju.

It is Madaiah who has been performing pooja regularly at the little temple near the tree. Ramalingu adds a caste dimension to the tree row.

Members of the two major communities at Chikkahalli do not take part in each other’s festivities. This has denied the united support of the local population to the initiative to protect the tree. “While the educated throw their weight behind the campaign, others seem disinterested. Protecting the environment has taken a back seat,” Ramalingu says.

It is agencies like the Forest Department and the Mysore Urban Development Authority that can bring about a change. While the former can come forward to buy the land where the tree is situated, the latter can develop a single tree park by fencing the area around the ‘ficus bengalensis moraceae’ tree.

“Support must be given to the prop roots that help the tree in expanding and encroachers must be prevented from trimming the roots to suit their convenience,” he adds.

Will all nature lovers and the powers-that-be unite in protecting the tree that promises to grow bigger and find itself a place in the record books?

“We have approached the district administration to acquire the tree and the land it stands on, and transfer the same to us, so that we can fence the place to protect it. But that hasn’t happened yet,” says Deputy Forest Officer Chikkappaiah.

Close ties
Though there have been attempts to acquire the land around the tree, people in about 15 to 20 surrounding villages will not, for any reason, allow the tree to be axed or the land it stands on to be acquired by land sharks. People have an emotional relationship with the tree and they consider it divine, he adds. 

“As far as the family owning the tree is concerned, while Madaiah attended the meeting called by us, his nephew didn’t, since he doesn’t want the government to acquire the tree area. After all, film and TV serial shootings bring in the moolah for them,” he adds.

According to Ramalingu, Rajinikant-starrer Tamil flick ‘Baba’, the shooting for which was held here, brought in money to the tune of Rs one lakh to the family. The tree has indeed been a precious boon for them!