Wildbuzz | Trees as vignettes of time
he infinite floral manifestations of nature that clothe the foothills are invaluable in curbing soil erosion from the loose, fragile and “geologically-young” Shivaliks
To know trees, one must take not the path less travelled but the path not travelled at all by humans. Citizens of the tricity have a wonderful opportunity to explore and be among the company of diverse native trees, bushes, flowers and flora that bedeck the Shivalik foothills.
These “tree houses” are within easy access from the tricity’s sprawl. The infinite floral manifestations of nature that clothe the foothills are invaluable in curbing soil erosion from the loose, fragile and “geologically-young” Shivaliks. There are many “daring” trees that have taken root on eroding cliffs and valiantly cling onto the remaining half of the hillock like mountaineers hanging in mid-air.
Wandering to the tree horizon of the Shivaliks entails picking up a thin trail of wild deer that emanates from the heart of the jungle and meanders to a water hole. Walking up the trails that wind like serpents in the foliage leads the explorer to encounters with thorny bushes, whose witch-like nails rip clothes and snatch the ducking hat.
As the season transits to spring, the trees flash leafy counterparts to the chorus of the brown-headed barbet (Bada basanta) heralding the advent of warmth. The leaves of trees, too, “burn” silently, changing into a palette of nameless colours. The marvel-struck eye views the mosaics and hues as if peering into a gigantic kaleidoscope fashioned from the turns of earth’s dome.
The trees are mute witnesses to time’s passage but their gnarls and rings whisper evolution’s struggles. They stand statuesque like the meditating Buddha. To know the trees, as one brushes past them, is to sense timelessness and the celestial order, of which each mortal, whether tree or bird or human, is but an interlude and yet a link in the continuum of infinity.
Winged rodents of the airport
At the departure lounge of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, a contraption- both strange and familiar- meets the idling eye. In the glitzy lounge, a huge pigeon trap lures birds with food scraps. A rope tied to the stick, that props up the trap, is used to make the contraption fall on tricked birds. It is a device familiar from childhood days when a slanted wicker basket served to similarly trap garden birds.
This surreal spectacle has been occasioned by numerous pigeons and mynas which have invaded the airport lounges. The pigeons are so familiar with the surroundings and people that they mount tables at food outlets and gobble scraps off plates. It would be worthwhile to recall that hypersensitivity pneumonitis and interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are ailments caused by prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings.
At the root of this menace is the tendency of some passengers to offer food scraps to pigeons. “We face an arduous task to clean the floors of pigeon droppings. We first scrape the floor to remove the dried and hardened fecal matter, wipe it and then wash it. Our backs come under strain just cleaning the lounge floors of droppings, otherwise passengers complain of uncleanliness. We request passengers not to feed pigeons but they do not listen. They will bring food in packages, sit in the lounge and thoughtlessly throw scraps at waiting birds. We manage to catch some pigeons with the trap but more and more keep coming in,” an airport cleaning staff personnel told this writer.
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