Author: Riddhi Singhania, Class XII E
The old banyan tree has seen everything. The older he grows, the more he has to say (you won’t hear him, neither would I- You know, it is commonly only the younger soul that has the tendency to let the world know what it knows. The older it gets, that world seems to squeeze into that little heart, which is much more satisfied by silence, than any external sound.) The old tree stays there. He has developed strong roots with its place of origin, and so many of them, that it’s impossible to uproot it from there. He has seen life; he has experienced life. He has, I believe, understood life more than anyone else…for that kind of patience can’t be seen in any human ever born. Countless times he has seen his leaves turning brown and crumpling away, leaving the tree bare- shivering with cold and hoping for them to return someday. Then that day comes too. He starts again; he nurtures every single leaf into the green beauty. The leaves also in turn adorn the tree and please him with their comforting ruffling. The tree becomes new every spring, yet grows older year after year.
A spider has woven its web on one of his branches, while a bird has made its nest. There might be hundreds of little insects thriving on his long, ever-growing roots, and he pleasantly lets them be there.
You can always spot that faint smile through his wrinkles. No matter how hard the rain hits his body, no matter how the cold freezes his movement, he has learnt to bear all that. He stands still and strong when we tend to hide ourselves under an umbrella or try to find comfort in the cozy sweaters.
He is proud – proud to be unlike the never satisfied humans- while being down to earth (its natural tendency, right?). He might not know what’s happening in the world far-off, but he knows all what’s in his vision. Every time I see him, it seems to tell me something (perhaps, he tries to tell everyone that thing). I never understand what he really means, nor do I think I would, ever. But whatever he says, he is right, as I know that he is the old banyan tree, who has seen everything.
