I too was green yesterday

What had I done?

What was my fault?

I stood quietly besides the divider giving shade and respite to the pedestrians in the scorching summer heat.

You polluted the air through your luxurious lifestyle activities and I returned you pure, clean and oxygenated air.

I used to take pride when my branches used to bloom and get laden with little mangoes but your greedy eyes were always on me. You were so jealous that you could never see me happy. You threw stones on me and I gave you back my small mangoes for your pickles. You never let them become ripe but I never  complained.

This place belonged to my friend on the other side of divider and me. We grew up here, we stood tall for years here. Road was carved in this area but our friend in-charge at that time did not find us a threat and carefully demarcated our boundary with radium lights at our feet and our trunk so as to make you aware that we stand there. The traffic on this road is not that heavy that you cannot tolerate us- your quietest friends.

I have seen you grow and anticipated you to be mature enough to understand that we are your best friends but never did I realize that you will be so ignorant and fool to cut me down and lay me to rest. Tomorrow you will kill my friend too, I know.

It is shocking and ironical that this area is being inhabited by the people from forest department and has been aptly named “Aranyavali”- the people who are supposed to save us, stand for us. I was being killed but no one from them even came up to help me, save me.

Now I lie down as a piece of log. I have served you for years. Still, you betrayed me. You will not spare me even now and will use me to the fullest in your worship rituals like havan, for your furniture and for your doors but will never ever feel the pain I have gone through.

When will you realize that that by cutting me down, you have cut one breathing string of yours?