The Olive tree's message!

As you know, I was a teacher of St. Robert's High School in Darjeeling. I was staying with my third sister and her kids after the death of her husband in 1980. I regularly walked through the Robertson Road to school and by the Side of that road, stood this majestic olive tree. Since my school days, I had a strange attraction towards that Olive tree as we used to get huge and ripened olives and the tree had nests of different birds. On many occasions, it also, very frequently, gave us shelter from the rain. Under this tree, my friends and I had shared our future plans e.g. one of them wanted to become a lawyer, the other a great football player , another chap wished to be a police officer, other one, an army man and myself, a teacher.

Some of us did fulfill our dreams others didn't. Coming back to my story , this huge tree was still standing strong and had grown bigger than always just a few years later. Unfortunately, at the time, the tree was chopped down which made a lot of birds homeless and no more getting safe during the rains. I felt real pity for it but nobody could do anything. As I was still using the same route TO and FRO from the school I worked in, I saw the tree was logged and sold to a restaurant nearby. The restaurant used the wooden planks on its steps and floor. Believe it or not, at the place of that tree, there stood a five storeyed building owned by one of the bureaucrats in the town, just merely a few years later. The building has dozens of different stores, ATMs and various private offices, cafeterias, etc, etc.

I tied the knot with my wife in 1984 after four years of my service tenure. After 1986, Darjeeling witnessed Gorkhaland agitation. This agitation disturbed the peace, tranquility and pureness of the town. Many of the townfolks began to leave the place and hundreds of outsiders entered in and occupied those vacant lands and contructed huge hotels, malls and buildings. Only after 1990 there was somewhat of a peace in the town and at this juncture, we old friends could meet at the same restaurant which used the said tree planks for construction and renovation and we all celebrated our respective successes there. At that time, I realized that it felt like the very same tree which gave us shelter and other amenities earlier. I forgot to mention earlier that once in 1981 somewhere we had seen a red panda had taken shelter on it. I began to feel guilty about the tree and prayed and pleaded for pardon in my heart.

While we were enjoying our meal, I felt the tree conveyed a message, telepathically, to me, saying not to feel bad about it and that it is a cycle of life for everyone. Today, I am out of my hometown, was it my fate or the universe's plan to relocate us. I still remember that magnificent tree standing tall and strong there and I still pray to the Almighty to let the other trees be safe and happy so my future generation can breathe fresh air and enjoy nature. After all this and other experiences in life, I concluded that man himself is responsible for his own and the nature's deterioration not realizing that, that very nature is the home we live in. Until and unless man gives up and begins to think about others instead of himself, all must struggle to survive. You live and let others live too!

Mankind has a crucial role in maintaining the delicate balance of nature. It is essential to respect and protect the natural world, not only for the sake of our own survival but also for the health and wellbeing of all living creatures. We must take responsibility for our actions and recognize that our choices have consequences. To treat nature with care, we should reduce our consumption of natural resources, minimize pollution, protect biodiversity, and promote sustainable practices. By acting responsibly towards nature, we can create a healthier, more resilient planet for generations to come!

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