Trees make them express...
Sandesh Prabhudesai
19 March 2002
They were supposed to sit together at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital next week, to
receive the most prestigious Padma awards. But the Goan
authorities compelled them to sit together on the footpaths
of the state capital, last week, to save the age-old rain
trees.
It was a unique protest organised spontaneously
by the educated lot of Panaji, led by Padmabhushan recipient
and renowned cartoonist Mario Miranda and Padmashree recipient
Norma Alvares, the animal activist and environmental lawyer.
No dharna, no demonstration, no morcha,
no slogan shouting, not even speeches. The nature lovers
simply gathered on Sunday morning under the huge rain trees
along the Panaji-Miramar stretch, displaying their love
and affection towards the trees and the Mother Nature.
BJP Chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who
is also the Panaji MLA, had already announced that the plan
to cut down 39 huge rain trees along the Campal-Miramar
stretch to widen the road has been shelved. But he still
plans to root out some of these trees 'scientifically' and
plant them elsewhere.
"Trees are our life, don't take our life",
wrote one small child on the poster she had drawn, along
with several other kids who expressed their anguish through
paintings and drawings. 'Forget human beings, think of the
animals like monkeys and birds', said another child. 'Don't
take away my home', cried a tiny sparrow from yet another
poster.
Known for its artistic and musical mind,
the real Goan culture had come alive on the streets of Panaji,
singing at the tunes of traditional brass band of Goa and
staging spontaneous street plays. Displaying balloons, holding
competition of measuring girth of one of the huge rain tree,
a quiz on nature and what not…
Adding his own flavour, Mario Miranda also
drew cartoons, humiliating bureacucratic-minded officials
and politicians, along with his Goan counterpart Alexyz.
Eminent painters also joined the bandwagon, splashing brushes
on the posters and giving life to the feeling of nature
lovers.
The talk of the town in the picturesque
city now is who that PWD bureaucrat, who came out with the
crazy idea of cutting the age-old rain trees, which are
considered treasure of Panaji and special attraction of
tourists, whether an Indian or a foreigner.
