Hello, Blissed community!
The idea for this post stemmed from a study tour that I was conducting for undergraduate students in which they were documenting from field observations. We visited the Lodhi Garden, a city park (the study site), to observe the surroundings. They were then asked to come up with photo essays backed by an interesting narrative. The Lodhi Garden is situated in a prime part of Delhi and has numerous heritage structures dating back to 1400 CE. It is dotted by several mature trees which are currently witnessing spring and, thus, have shed their leaves. As I was discussing the narratives with individual groups, one of them decided to document the trees in their essay. I did not directly go on to discourage them but I was wary of the approach as I knew it was not easy to glamorize an element like a tree and convert it into powerful imagery. Thus, my suggestion was to keep the tree as the context and play around it.
Trees have been part of human civilizations, have withstood the test of time, seen cities rise and decline, witnessed seasons change & urban fabric morph and have been worshipped
Yet we take them for granted!
City and the trees - a distorted narrative
As we meander our cities daily, we rarely notice the element that has become more like a placeholder than a curated natural genius. The quintessential tree, which forms part of our city’s ecosystems, has sadly become a side actor in the theatrics of city planning. Soaring and glistening towers, which shape the skyline while shifting one’s vision from eye level to sky-level, take center stage.
This shift takes away from the humdrum taking place at a human scale and leaves us with no option but to ignore an important element like the humble tree, which resides in every nook & corner, side lane, roundabout, boundary walls of complexes, park complexes, parking areas and every other space which is part of the city.
It’s known to creep into buildings while cracking the walls or has been placed at the centre of courtyard houses where it becomes the place of congregation or is revered as a living entity to be worshipped Their stories have found their way into folklore and legacies, but the omnipresent tree has not been able to become the hero as yet.
Trees are one of the only elements in the city’s urbanscapes that, when not placed appropriately, will either wither and die or take over surrounding developments due to their invasive nature. They can make or break an area's image as their presence can overpower the fanciest buildings.
Why should we care about them anyway?
Despite trees’ numerous benefits, they do not draw attention to city dwellers. Why? The pace at which cities function makes it impossible for us to draw our already-distracted and short-spanned attention to a stationary element like the tree, which does not do much for us in daily life (it does not entertain or make money — thus, we humans do not consider it valuable).
In its lifetime a tree is known to serve various purposes to a variety of species (including humans), which can be categorized into two parts:
Natural uses - tangible benefits
Providing shade & comfort to users
Providing habitation to fauna
Providing fruits and flowers
Purifying the environment
Human induced uses - intangible benefits
Adding to the aesthetics
Providing perspective to places like road avenues, entrances to complexes
Providing imagery and depth owing to the variety of leaf shape, texture, size, color, pattern
Adding a context to the built fabric
Regulating the microclimate of environs
Acting as a screen for the ugly (but important) utilities spread across cities
Bringing cultures together (remember I mentioned they are sacred and worshipped)
Acting as natural noise absorbers
Inducing Recreational activities - Tree walks and leaf/flower viewing is a thing in some parts of the world (like cherry blossom in Japan)
Known to bring calmness and reduce stress, as color green is associated with relaxation and Zen feelings
First steps first - Acknowledge them
It is currently spring in northern parts of India. That means the whole city is gleefully bursting in a riot of colors.
The clear blue sky, dotted with grey-brown buildings, is interspersed with bright hues of crimson, ochre, orange, hyacinth, zesty lime, light emerald and other spring shades.
Thought of sharing some pictures of trees from different parts of the world where they paint the town in beautiful hues.
Ending the post with a beautiful poem titled ‘Trees’ by Joyce Kilmer.
Trees
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree
After reading the post, I am sure that next time you hit the streets or the roads, you are surely going to notice that beautiful tree on your way to work, which you ignored all this time while it stood there in the hope that someone would silently admire it.
If you happen to capture any trees in your vicinity, share some pictures. I would love to share them on my Instagram stories.
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Thank you for stopping by.
Till the next time - Stay Blissed ✨
Parul Kapoor
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Such wonderful observations… if you are interested, you might enjoy my essay on what is happening at High Gate cemetery in London - it is also all about trees 🌳:)