Mumbai has
banished Bakul. No doubt about it. I haven’t seen this tree in Thane. I do not
remember seeing it in Mumbai too.
My first
meeting with this tree was at ‘Limaye Wada’ in Hanuman Alley at Pen, my hometown. It was a huge
tree. You can’t mistake it for any other tree because of its small and fragrant
flowers. This is one tree where my eyes scan the ground. You get very fragrant
flowers and some fruits on the ground.
I came out
of Labour Court in Guwahati and walked down to the main road. As I approached
the main street, I spotted Bakul! It wasn’t a big tree there, it had grown to
the height of about ten feet. Bakul was planted in front of a
shop, so I went to the shop keeper, and asked the name of the tree. ‘Bokol’ the
Assamese shop keeper said!
A few years
later I visited Kolkata. My hotel was not too far from Victoria Memorial. I
went there for my morning walk. That garden has at least ten big Bakul trees.
The one close to the gate is a very big tree. There were some fruits lying on
the ground, I picked up one or two and quickly put them in my mouth, afraid
that people might recognise me.
I realised that
I was a stranger in Kolkata, just as Bakul has now become one in Mumbai.
Vivek S
Patwardhan
[Pic
courtesy internet]