The Keeper of Our Books and Trees

Paddaja Roy

“Oh, your college campus is so green!” This is the general observation of any person setting afoot in the premises of my workplace, Ratnapith College, located in Chapar in the district of Dhubri.

Seeing the seemingly unending rows of nahor, shimul, sal, ajar and many more trees adorn our campus, one can contend why the poet Nabakanta Baruah had named our college as “Mini Shantiniketan”.

That too was my general perception as well- “Such greenery” I exclaimed as I stepped in the campus for the first time for my interview. After joining the college as an Assistant Professor, taking a stroll amidst the lush green foliage became a regular yet exciting activity of my daily life.

In an era where deforestation leads the saga of any ‘developmental’ activities, finding a canopy similar to which my college campus provided should be counted as a blessing! So, when I started asking my colleagues about the myriad flora, they asked me to talk to Jogendra Nath. “Jogenkhura? Our library bearer?”

Of course I knew him. As trees are to birds, libraries are to me, and Jogen Khura is to our library. He has been a part of our college since its inception. Not only that, it was he who planted almost all of the trees of the campus. He knows everything about these trees. This intrigued me.

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As soon as I learnt of this, I rushed to the library and urged Khura to give me a tour of the campus. Khura seemed more than happy to oblige. So, the next day, which happened to be one fine late morning of pre-winter days, I quickly wrapped up my classes and Khura and I started on our tour.

Khuratook me through the lanes of our college and recited the names of every single tree and the unique qualities each of them had. This particular species of neem, he advised, is forbidden for consumption, and pointed out how the leaves of the two species were different. Such pieces of advice were also followed by certain anecdotes and facts.

Khura then took me towards the Western boundary line of our campus and pointed to the direction of the Saptaparni tree and said, “Do you know, the Saptaparni tree is also known as ‘saitan tree’ or the devil’s tree because the pollen grains of Saptaparni is said to cause fever, allergy and asthama.”

I was stunned. I had heard about such trees but never really seen them. “People also say that ghosts and spirits inhabit such trees. Haven’t you heard of ghosts dwelling in litchi trees and tamarind trees…” We walked amidst the tall saland nahortrees, took pictures of the thick foliage of agaru and chandan trees, looked around for rudrakshas beneath the giant rudraksha tree.

Our college campus has more than sixty five different species of flora and more than 500 trees and every single tree was tended with great care in the hands of khura. Such green foliage offered a home to a number of birds and eventually, bird-watching became an activity as habitual to us as going for a walk. Exploring the trees growing in the nooks and corners of our campus made it a day worth remembering.

After touring the entire college campus learning about more than sixty five different species of flora found within our lush green campus, we called it a day. However, we were not done yet. The next day, the faculty members had organised an Environmental studies tour for the students of the second semester, and they were taken to a small forest right behind our college campus with Jogen khurat aking up the role of our guide.

A forest of 35bighas, full of tall trees and narrow pathways, a forest grown by the sincere and dedicated efforts of Jogen Khura and his peers. The teachers and students alike were mesmerised at the beauty of the forest and were also awed at the love which Khura had for trees. Everyone knows about Jadav Payeng, the celebrated forest-man of India hailing from the riverine island of Majuli who planted a forest beside the river Brahmaputra.

The forest, called Molai forest after him, is now home to a number of beats such as the Bengal tiger, Indian rhino, deer, rabbits, monkeys and a large number of birds as well. Jadav Payeng is an inspiration to many, and a blessing to all.

But very few people know about unsung heroes like Jogen khura, hailing from the small yet beautiful place of Chapar in the vicinity of Dhubri, who with his peers such as Saumit Kumar Ray and many more, and following the footsteps of the former Chief Minister of Assam, Jananeta Sarat Chandra Sinha, planted more than a thousand trees and worked as a keeper of books and greenery.

People like Jogen khura also remain an inspiration to many and a blessing to all, to humans and the nonhuman beings alike. As I jot these lines sitting in the comforting shades offered by the bokul and nahor trees, I remain grateful to every single being who dedicated their lives in making this world a greener and a better place.

Footnotes:

nahor: Mesuaferrea L. also known as Cobra’s Saffron or Ceylon ironwood

shimul: Bombaxceiba commonly known as cotton tree

sal: Shorearobusta, a hardwood timber tree

ajar: Lagerstroemia speciosa, a flowering plant

neem: Azadirachtaindica, also known as ‘the village pharmacy’ or ‘Divine Tree’

Saptaparni: Alstoniascholaris, commonly known as Blackboard tree

agaru: Aquilariaagallocha, also known as Agarwood or Eaglewood

chandan: Santalum album, also known as Sandalwood

rudraksha: Elaeocarpusangustifolius, also known as ‘Bead tree’

Paddaja Roy, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Ratnapith College, Chapar, Dhubri

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