Under the Shade of Eucalyptus.

That Eucalyptus.

We were a batch of students on a field excursion to a nearby forest area. Escorted by Dr. Sivaji, a veteran Silviculturist, our task was to carry out the regeneration survey of sal. Sal, botanically known as Shorea robusta is one of the most profuse species and of great economic importance in the region. Speeding through the expressways, bumping over the convolutions, and with regular inertia of rest and motion, a two-hour drive finally reached us in a core of natural sal forest, which was so luxuriant and dynamic, beautifully adorned with greenish florescence.

By then, it was already eleven and the sun was blazing excessively from the azure sky. It has been always a hectic and torturing field experience due to the scorching heat in the mid spring months but then, it is better though difficult. The more pain one endures for a good cause, the more one reaps the better result.

Therefore, into respective groups we endeavoured our task. Taking the baselines, measuring the offsets, and amid the undergrowths of excessive herbs and shrubs, we were to carry out the survey. “A presence of one established seedling fetches five points, and under such situation the value of woody or whippy plants in the same quadrant should be ignored.” Dr. Sivaji directed us. Instantly I thought that the pains of little struggles in the journey of life should be ignored when we are yet to achieve a result that yields the maximum point.

By the time we finished our task, we were very exhausted. The bottle of water that I carried has become warm and it quenched no thirst of mine. Silently and solitarily I walked by the shades of nature and as I reached the edge of the forest, to my astonishment I saw a lone Eucalyptus tree growing there. Beneath the shade of the eucalyptus I rested.

Heard from above were the rustling of its feathery leaves and with the air filled with its fresh and pleasant aroma, I felt a wonderful sensation under its shade. It’s indeed really amazing when such a species of Australian origin have flourished over the entire world, and it’s more fascinating when such a lone exotic survives among the groove of native sal. More mesmerizing, when under its shade, I discovered my tranquil amid tiredness.

Life is a continuous flow. In order to meander the valleys, it has to torrent down the hills and cliffs. We should not be living within the limited boundary of an enclave but have to keep exploring the wider horizons to discover the real potential and values just the way the single eucalyptus has found its secure sanctuary.

Contemplating on the changes undergoing on the tree, I was enthralled by the way it responded to changing season. As the cold winter has long given it way to the warmth of spring followed by the sweltering summer heats, I could see the tree replacing its thick brown barks with thin layer glistening whitish one. Adversity is the mother of awareness. Like the old fissured barks, we have to peel off our anomalous habits and inculcate the budding of positive values. We never know, in our life, where we will face the quirky twist of fate. We should develop in ourselves, a sort of immunity to adapt to the odd changes.

Under its shade as I lay silently, I felt rejuvenated, profound and tranquil, free from weariness. But the silence was broken when I heard a song of an Indian roller from above. A tiny bird with a stunning plumage, I could sense its joy of freedom amid the woods. In its songs, the bird discovered its ecstasy. It was indeed a euphoric moment for me in the woods as well. In our life, we should soar higher like the free bird and should celebrate every escalation but not forgetting that we ascended from the ground. When the bird lands on earth, so does its shadow.

As thoughts and emotions kept arising, suddenly a leaf fell over my shoulder. I picked it up and could judge that it was indeed a green leaf without any uneven tinge. How such a healthy leaf got detached from the tree? I thought. Gazing up in the canopy of its stretching branches, I could see the branches dancing in breeze and upper in the sky, I could see clouds drifting but soon it disappeared from my sight. Just like the transient clouds, like the fall of a healthy leaf and like the branches shaking with forces of wind, everything is uncertain. The song of the bird too faded and only echoes remained in my ear. A gush of cold air caressed my face and I learnt that the sun has shifted towards the western horizon. It was time for me to go and join the folk who have finished another task. As such, the pleasant moment I enjoyed beneath the shade of eucalyptus was also transitory in nature.

However, the momentary bliss that I attained there, the free thoughts that I contemplated and the reminder of impermanence by the nature added in me an extra zeal to tackle the mazes in the journey of my life to make it worth a living one. I then joined my folks and retraced our way back to the college only to continue with the same mundane.