Narayan Gadagkar

The blessed Tree- Mother

Cursed with a pain of not bearing children

The barrenness haunting now and then

She chose to plant rows and rows of trees

of Banyan all along the roads and highways

Thus lived the blessed Tree -Mother.

 

Deprived of formal schooling and classrooms

 She embraced nature as her true teacher

Adhered to the saying, where tree exists

there the humanity survives and thrives

Thus lived the blessed Tree -Mother.

 

Watching motherhood blossom in saplings

Poured affection into the trees and plants

                         She breathed her love into each branch                                     

Nurturing green life, preserving every breath

              Thus lived the blessed Tree-Mother.                                     

 

The Banyan, she chose with sense and care

No flowers, no fruits the Banyan bore,

No passersby will hit with stone and more

With a network of roots the tree that grows

Thus lived the blessed Tree-Mother

 

The mighty giant the banyan trees

Live long and stand strong for centuries

Spreading dense shade wide and far,

A heavenly comfort for the sun-scorched.

Thus lived the blessed Tree-Mother.

 

With the banyan trees she lived,

The secret of longevity she learned

To the Goddess of forest she bowed

The Centenarian bid adieu and died

A legacy of a naturalist left behind

Thus lived the blessed Tree -Mother