Trees of Pune
If I were to ever sum up the essence of Pune, I would probably call it verdant (much at the risk of being ridiculed or accused of fibbing). The once lush canopy that spread over the city is now reduced to mangy tufts of isolated patches of green. Worse still, it is something that exists only in nostalgia backed by a few photos. Nobody in their present encounter with the city would remotely associate verdant with Pune - unfortunately. Back in the day, a green cover meant something that was given. Not an abrogated promise by a builder of a housing society. There were trees and plants which were not specifically chosen for their aesthetic appeal but rather, like the citizenry, they were there because their forefathers had once been there - they were an organic part of the city, when organic was not something which cost an arm and a leg. My earliest memory of trees as individuals is that of a huge Mimosa tree opposite Sambhaji Park on Jangli Maharaj Road. Its smooth, dark bark was a v...