Excerpts From "The world of trees"

This is a remarkable book on trees – trees which are not just ‘described’ to you in words as having branches, leaves and sweet-smelling flowers, but trees which you can actually ‘see’ as you read. Big trees, tall trees, stately trees….all come alive with the cries and activities of the numerous birds and insects living on them, the age old myths associated with them and the author’s personal comments, witty and insightful. Indeed, in many places, especially in villages in India, trees are quite inseparable from the way of life of the people.

, Earth facts for kids: 2_1.gif As you go through the pages, the author takes you for a walk among the aerial roots and hanging branches of the big banyan, and through a thick grove of giant mango trees. While you sit on the steps of a temple here, sharing with a farmer his mid-day chapati, you can see in a distance the beautiful leaves of the peepal shimmering in the breeze, which seem to attract your attention and invite into their shade. The brilliance of the semal tree during the spring season is matchless, and so are the usefulness of the sal and the close association between the mahua and the lives of tribal people. As you reach the beaches at the southern most tip of the country, there appear before your eyes the tall, slender palm trees, seeming like "giant spiders climbing against the darkening sky". These palms are forever in motion, waving their tufts even when the air appears to be still. Some trees like the neem, imli, dhak and champa have been the favourites of many down the ages, including powerful spirits who are believed to dwell in them! And lastly, among the trees of the Himalayas, we have wonderful tales of the rhododendron, the deodar, the evergreen oak and the beautiful horse-chestnut, among many others.