ROOT FOR FALLEN TREES, HELP THEM TAKE SHOT AT LIFE

BENEATH the scorching sun, where the sands of Pondy Marina glisten like gold, D Anandan, whose hands are calloused from nurturing plants, stands as a silent guardian in front of a banyan tree.

- BAGALAVAN PERIER B

The 55-year-old man from Pooranankuppam in Puducherry is not just a caretaker of trees he is their saviour, their voice, and the one who breathes life into their roots once again.

On that sunny day, he was inspecting the banyan tree he transplanted from Auroville, where trees were being uprooted for development work a few years ago. It was not an isolated act, in fact, he has given life to 45 trees that were either cut down or uprooted.

For Anandan, who works as the manager at Perunthalaivar Kamaraj Krishi Vigyan Kendra (PKKVK), love for nature is not just a fleeting hobby but a lifelong calling. His journey began in 2013, two years after winds of Cyclone Thane swept through Puducherry. For most, the aftermath was a blur of debris, but for Anandan, it was the heartwrenching sight of countless trees, toppled and broken, that stirred him to action. "It was heartbreaking to see the trees that once lined our streets reduced to debris," he recalls.