ते जीवनदायी झाड Te Jivandayi Zad (That Life-Giving Tree)

लेखकांच्या घराच्या मागे एक लिंबाचे झाड होते. संपूर्ण परिसर उष्ण, कोरडा व रुक्ष असतानाही हे झाड मात्र लसलशीत हिरवेगार व फळांनी लगडलेले, चैतन्यमय होते. या पार्श्वभूमीवर ते झाड लेखकांना विलक्षण जीवनदायी वाटायचे.

The author recalls that behind the house he lived in, right by the window, stood a thorny lemon tree, laden with fruit and lush with green vitality. The whole area suffered from intense summer heat, the surrounding air scorching the earth to a parched brown, nearby trees looking wilted and dull green, with no wetlands anywhere in sight. Against this dry, blistering backdrop, the lemon tree seemed remarkably alive and life-giving.

झाडाखाली ओलसर जमिनीत लेखकांना मोठमोठ्या गोगलगाईंची वस्ती दिसली, ज्या शंख पाठीवर घेऊन झाडावरही चढत. लवकरच एका पारव्याच्या जोडीने या झाडात घरटे बांधले आणि रखरखीतून थंड आश्रय शोधला.

Since the drain water always collected under the tree, the ground there stayed perpetually moist, and in this dampness the author began noticing large-shelled snails, who not only crawled about carrying their shells but even climbed the tree - the largest colony of snails he had ever seen. Watching them travel along the branches became a favourite pastime for the author and the children in the house. Soon a pair of pigeons, seeking comfort in this green wonder, began building a twig nest in the thorny lemon tree, having found a cool refuge amid the surrounding heat.

चिमण्या, बुलबुल, पोपट अशा पक्ष्यांनी हे झाड नेहमी गजबजलेले असे - जणू ते गातेबहरते संगीतमय झाड होते. झाडाखाली मुंग्यांचे व अनेकरंगी किड्यांचे वेगळेच विश्व होते, खारीही तिथे राहत आणि सावलीत कुत्रीही विसाव्याला येत.

Sparrows and other birds constantly filled this tree with life, as though it were a singing, blossoming musical tree; crested bulbuls and parrots were always to be seen there. The author noticed that flock after flock of birds came from the scorching surroundings towards this one cool tree. Beneath the tree lay a whole separate world of ants and colourful insects, once he even found a shed snake skin, squirrels lived in the branches, and dogs came to rest in its cool shade.

शेवटच्या बहरात झाडाला चिमुकली, मंद सुवासाची फुले आली, जी फुलपाखरे व रंगीत कीटकांना आकर्षित करत. एका फांदीवर मधमाश्यांचे पोळेही तयार झाले, पण त्यांनी कधी कोणालाही दंश केला नाही. या सगळ्यातून लेखकांना लिंबाचे झाड 'सजीवांसाठी जीवनदायी केंद्र' असल्याचे जाणवले.

During the tree's final blossoming, the author saw tiny, sweetly fragrant flowers appear, carrying the wondrous promise of fruit to come. These flowers drew butterflies, colourful flying insects, nectar-sipping birds and bumblebees to the tree. A honeybee hive even formed on a small branch, making the author consider keeping the window shut, though the bees never stung anyone. Through all this, the author came to see the lemon tree as a 'life-giving centre for all living beings.'

ज्या दाक्षिणात्य स्त्रीने हे झाड लावले होते तिने त्याला कधी कुंपण घातले नाही, त्यामुळे आसपासचे लोक मुक्तपणे लिंबे घेऊन जात. शेजारच्या घरात मुबलक पाणी असूनही तिथे कोणतेच झाड नव्हते आणि ती माणसे उदास वाटत. यातून लेखकांना समजले की झाड लावणे व जगवणे ही एक प्रवृत्तीच असते.

The author explains that the South Indian woman who had planted this lemon tree, even while she was merely a tenant, never fenced it off; people from around freely came and took the fruit, yet it never ran short. In contrast, the family living in the adjoining half of the twin building had a hand-pump with plenty of water in their backyard, yet not a blade of grass grew in their courtyard, and they seemed a gloomy, troubled lot. From this the author realised that planting a tree, nurturing it, and spreading joy through it is a matter of mindset - anyone who keeps a tree alive is sowing a 'green miracle' in nature.