Times impact: Boorha Bargad shoot gets guarded

KANPUR: It would have been a normal Friday morning for a majority of the Kanpurites, but for the visitors of Nana Rao Park Phool Bagh a silent yet positive change took place that would now preserve the heritage there for the coming generations.
Following the article 'Apathy Kills Boorha Bargad' published in TOI edition of May 25, 2010, the Indian National Trust of Art Culture and Heritage (INTACH) members and the district authorities put up a 'tree guard' around the shoot of the Banyan tree that was coming out from the roots of the 'Boorha Bargad'.
Waking up to the cause of preserving the dying heritage and historical treasure, the INTACH members not only protected the shoot of the tree with a tree guard but also pledged to give this 'witness to history' its due importance.
After reading about the lost existence of the 'Boorha Bargad'- the sole witness to the martyrdom of 133 revolutionaries in the revolt of 1857- and how the negligence of the locals, district administration and agencies concerned were responsible for its slow death, INTACH- the organisation working for the conservation and preservation of the heritage sites - visited the park on Thursday with a hope to at least preserve the lone evidence to this heritage.
"After taking note of the present condition of the Banyan tree during a visit to the park on Thursday, we decided to apprise district magistrate Amrit Abhijaat about the state of this tree and our willingness to do something for it. As such, we regret for having failed to save an important part of such a great revolution," said Shobhna Kaushik, secretary of INTACH.
The DM acting swiftly over the matter asked the Udyan Adhikari of Kanpur Nagar Nigam (which looks after the Nana Rao Park) to help the INTACH members in getting the tree guards installed and ensuring the safety and irrigation of the shoot thereafter.
On Friday morning, though not many but a handful of people took up the cause as they gathered in the park, got the mud around the shoot levelled and installed the tree guard. The organisation is also now arranging for a permanent solution to guard the tree by getting angles installed around the shoot as a permanent fencing.
R Middha, principal of one of the prominent schools of the city and also a member of the INTACH, participated in the work. "It's sheer apathy that such a significant witness to first war of independence was overlooked by the responsible citizens of Kanpur. It is now our duty to protect the saplings," she said.
Another member Rajni Jain, also present at the park on Friday, said: "It is a must to create awareness about this historical tree not only among the grown-ups but also among the younger lot."
Coming forward to protect the heritage, the district administration authorities too ensured that the gardener took care of watering the shoot daily. Udyan Adhikari MP Singh too was present during the exercise and was seen passing instructions to gardener to level the mud properly and ensure watering of the plant.
The gardener of the Park later informed that the five 'Banyan trees' that can be seen at various corners of the same location are a part of the same old 'Boorha Bargad'. Talking to TOI, the DM also assured of arranging for a sponsor for the trees. "One may never know what is there in future, the shoot of Banyan tree can merely be an indication of another revolution awaiting Kanpur," he laughed.