BENGALURU: Even as concrete structures grow to diminish Bengaluru’s green cover, one can not help but notice how every walk or drive down city lanes are marked by trees.
Driving under a meadow cover of strong branches that could well qualify as city’s heritage, how many of these trees could you claim to identify? You may be familiar with them by sight, but how many of them can you name?
Well if the answer of those questions are a cause for embarasment, then it is time you get schooled on trees in the city. “Experience Trees - Lalbagh”, an experiental learning workshop by InkWeaver could be of help, if you are one who doesn’t chose to bask in ignorance of your surroundings.
The workshop will be held at Lalbagh at 7am today by botanist Arun Kumar N and Janet Orlene, founder of InkWeaver . “Lalbagh, unlike Cubbon Park which has turned into a cultural hub, is quiet with its own charm, with its morning walkers as well as birdwatchers. I hold a soft spot for it since it was the space where I began birdwatching as a kid. Lalbagh is also full of a variety of gorgeous trees, including the tallest tree in the city. Each tree in Lalbagh has its own fascinating story,” says Janet.
The event imparts learning happens through a series of activity driven experiences such as drawing , tasting, smelling , painting, poetry and by using blindfolds. “The idea is to use all our senses during this process instead of just our sight and hearing. This will be very unlike a classroom session with just as much learning,” adds Janet, who is also a naturalist and an experiential learning facilitator.
Arun did his Masters in Forestry in FRI, Dehradun. He is a “secret plant superhero” and a textrovert.
“I shall be introducing the participants to the trees in Lalbagh,” says Arun.
He informs that Lalbagh has a lot of exotic tress, which brought in from South America and Africa. “They have grown quite well in these surroundings,” he adds.
So, are there any particular trees that Bengalureans might be familiar with by sight in the city, but are still oblivious to?
“The trees you should watch out for right now are Jacaranda, which has burst into purple flowers, carpeting the floors with the same, the Gul Mohar - almost fiery with its red and orange flowers and the Golden Trumpets , which are as yellow as the name would suggest,” responds Janet.