Delhiwale: A tree in Lodhi Garden

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Delhi's Lodhi Garden is full of trees and monuments. One tree was itself like a monument. While it died a long time ago, it continued to stand, giving the park a haunting beauty. Park visitors would sit on the bench under it. Some weeks ago, the tree fell of its own accord. Days later, a spindly stalk was seen standing at the exact spot where the tree used to stand. It was probably hoped that the new plant might one day grow into a tree. Delhi's Lodhi Garden is full of trees and monuments. One tree was itself like a monument. While it had died a long time ago, it had continued to stand, giving the park a haunting beauty. (HT)
That stalk, too, is gone. Now, the spot has absolutely no sign of its recent arborous past.
It is a signal to shift our affection to another dead tree. This one is equally beautiful. It too is in Lodhi Garden. The tree is best seen from the vantage point of Athpula stone bridge, the only Akbar-era edifice in the city. The softly arched bridge spans over the park's duck pond. The westside parapet overlooks the larger length of the pond, whose both sides are lined with a dense collection of trees. And far in the distance stands the leafless tree. Its brown visage is severe, standing out starkly among the green verdure of the neighbouring trees. The tree is comprised of dozens of leafless branches standing upright. The branches look like twigs with sharp prickly ends poking upwards into the empty air.
It is the fountains installed on the lake that greatly enrich the tree's imagery. This evening, the water of the fountains is buoying up in sprays of steamy droplets. Looming directly behind these fountains, the tree resembles an art installation in which an artist has tried to reinterpret the shape of the flow of those very water fountains.
A search to identify the tree's precise location goes along a narrow path, which is flanked by bushes (which are filled with half-hidden romantic couples of all ages).
As one wades deeper into the passage, the leafless tree gradually disappears from view, screened off by the thick foliage of the area's leafy trees.
Finally, the bare tree is reached. It stands by the pond, facing the ramparts of Sikander Lodhi's tomb. A heart-shaped object is stuck on the trunk—must be a wild mushroom. This moment, the tree's austere branches are claimed by a single bird. It is motionless. The scene evokes a haiku by Japanese poet Bashō:
'On a withered branch
a crow has come to rest
autumn evening'
Of course, here in Lodhi Garden, it is a monsoon evening.