This Banyan man roots for a greener canopy
TIRUCHY: Alamaram Velupillai rejoices in his adopted first name which he has earned from his admirers for planting and nurturing hundreds of banyan trees over the years.
To a casual observer, the once ubiquitous banyan tree, alamaram in Tamil, appears mundane with nothing remarkable other than its expansive size. But Velupillai knows how the hoary giant grows to its full glory spreading its aerial shoots down to take firm roots for establishing its multiple trunks.
He has a valid reason for encouraging others to call him by his adopted first name. He wants others to share his zeal for planting more trees and make it more widespread. As a banyan tree spreads its wide canopy to provide shelter under its dense foliage to many, he aspires to achieve something similar.
An avid nature lover from his childhood, the 66-year-old farmer from Alundalaipur village in Tiruchy’s Lalgudi Taluk, decided to plant native saplings after realising the challenges posed by climate change and noticing that the number of trees in his village and other surrounding areas had greatly reduced.
Ably supported by his wife Ilavarasi (58), he collected seeds from bird droppings and started planting banyan trees near his house and village 15 years ago. So far, he has planted more than 1,000 native saplings including the 200-odd banyan trees.
“Due to climate change, nature manifests its problems with the increasing erratic heavy rainfall and drought-like situation that we have witnessed in the last 15 years. So, by planting more trees, we can get enough rainfall and breathe fresh air. Planting trees is not enough; we need to protect them until they grow. Moreover, looking at the trees daily brings us peace of mind. It makes me very happy that people call me Alamaram Velupillai,” he said.
Velupillai and Ilavarasi are farmers. The couple sustain themselves by cultivating maize and cotton on their 10 acres of land. However, that doesn’t stop them from erecting fences for more than a thousand saplings of various native plant species such as banyan, peepal, neem, pungan, jamun, iluppai and palm that they have planted over the years from their pockets to protect them from cattle.
They also water them daily. All these saplings are planted in water bodies, government hospitals and roadsides and they never go to sleep without seeing them. As many as 400 of the saplings they planted have grown into large trees today.
People of Alundalaipur and surrounding areas have appreciated their action. If anyone express interest in planting saplings, Velupillai will visits their homes and will plant the sapling himself.
According to him, planting trees has practical benefits. Velupillai elucidates it by recounting how he managed to fully recover from Covid-19. He got infected with the virus in 2020 and was hospitalised. Returning home after recovery, he was finding it difficult to breathe. His family members advised him to see a doctor. But he decided to stay under a peepal tree near his house for a week and take rest instead.
Stressing that he has now fully recovered from his respiratory health issues, Velupillai says, “This is why I plant more banyan and peepal trees. These trees give more fresh air and various benefits. The environment will be protected by growing rain-inducing trees like banyan and peepal.” He lamented that the number of both the trees have now reduced drastically.
“Today, many trees are cut down for road widening. The practice of worshipping the banyan tree which has lived for many years as a ‘kuladeivam’ is still continued among some villagers. These trees live long for 500 to 1000 years,” Velupillai said, insisting to avoid felling trees as much as possible.
Ilavarasi, who has supported her husband through the years, counts the interest for planting trees that they have instilled in others as their first success. She said many people were not aware about the benefits of planting trees but have become interested after witnessing what they have managed to do.
“We encourage more people to plant saplings on their own. The area around our village was parched before we planted trees. Now, it has become green. These tree shades are a good place for villagers to relax.”
“Planting native trees can benefit biodiversity. Tree planting enriches the soil and maintains the temperature. We nurture trees like we nurture children. If we don’t see the trees we planted one day, we won’t be able to sleep. Everyone asks what have they have achieved before they die? It is enough for us that we have planted trees for the next generation,” Ilavarasi signs off.
A Rani, a resident of Aludalaipur, said, “They have encouraged not only me but also many people in our village and surrounding areas to plant trees. This is the greatest job they have ever done. We are also creating awareness about planting trees not only among our children but also among others.”
(Edited by Amstrong Chanambam)