Introduce your little ones to the power of plants through this tree walk

Sita Ashoka

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God… Nature brings solace in all trouble, writes Anne Frank in her autobiography, The Diary of a Young Girl. As if building on this same hope that nature gave to the many poets and authors birthed from the wars, artist TV Santhosh's exhibition History Lab and the Elegy of Visceral Incantations, explores the sense of healing that the sheer presence of plants offers in the chaotic, distressful world we live in. Inspired by this ongoing exhibition at Dr Bhau Daji Lad (BDL) Museum, nature enthusiast and author Katie Bagli will take children for a two-hour-long tree walk at the Museum Plaza on Sunday.

"Santosh's artworks deal with the tumultuous emotions one goes through during war times and how the greenery around helps sobers it down," Bagli shares. "The walk will begin with a tour of the exhibition, followed by a trail in the Marine Plaza where I will take the kids around the biodiversity that the gardens offer."
While Bagli likes her walks to be spontaneous, she tells us that it will cover plants and trees like star apple, jackfruit, gulmohar, mango, bamboo, coconut, jamun, Sita Ashoka, bougainvillea, bakul, wild almonds, white teak and putranjiva. "Jackfruits are one of my favourite trees. The fruits are rich in nutrition, and the tree has so many medicinal properties. It has helped boom the economy of Kerala in the past few years!" The star apple, too, intrigues her, not simply because when the fruit is cut, it looks like a star, but because it is also called a tree with Midas' touch. "The leaves of the tree are dark green on the upper surface and have a copper shade on the lower surface, making them look like gold."

Sita Ashoka; Jackfruit; The Protagonist with his unfolding monologue by TV Santhosh, watercolour on paper

Another favourite includes the Sita Ashoka. "These are trees that would give hope to Sita when she was imprisoned in Ashoka Vatika by Ravana in Lanka. The shedding of the beautiful bunches of the flowers of the tree makes it seem like a vibrant rainfall!" says Bagli.

To this, Santhosh informs how when the protagonist in his artworks alternates his identities through history and its landmark events with the aid of various props, the backdrop tapestry of botanical plants acts like the antithesis. "They form a virtual medicinal garden in order to bring in an element of hope and healing as a solution to the turbulent reality we live in. Each plant has some healing property. In some of the works, I have used images of the Ashoka plant. According to the traditional medicinal system, Ashoka plant is used for treating depression. The name ‘A-shoka' literally means without sorrow. In another painting, I used the papaya tree. It contains high levels of antioxidants and helps in reducing cholesterol. Also, the juice from its leaves is good for fighting dengue fever."

File pic

BDL Museum director Tasneem Zakaria Mehta details the history of this green space, "Museum Plaza is a green enclave that includes over 55 trees of at least 20 different species. The botanical gardens next door to the museum were built together in 1862. The former curators carried out various horticultural experiments including growing vegetables and flowers in the adjoining garden." She reveals a lesser-known cool fact that people often mistake the mast tree in the plaza as the Ashoka tree as they look alike. "The ship masts were usually made from the mast trees, hence the name. This tree walk with Katie will cover more such information about the trees in the plaza," she sums up.

ON February 4, 11 am onwards
AGE GROUP 8 to 15 years
AT Education Centre, Marine Plaza, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Road, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Byculla East.
LOG ON TO insider.in (Bark, Buds, and Benefits | A Tree Walk with Katie Bagli)
COST Rs 100