Our Tamarind Tree

Hello! You can call me Tamarind Tree. As you probably realized, I am a gorgeous tamarind tree, and I would like to tell you my story. When I was a young sapling I had no friends beside me. I was the lone tree in the garden. My home was filled with a carpet of lush green grass. Over the years, I grew up into a magnificent and beautiful tree. My strong, dark-brown branches gave birth to pretty flowers and ripe, tasty fruits. I was content and happy.

One day, I saw a few people digging the soil around me. I was nervous and tensed. What if they decided to cut me down? Maybe they did not like my flowers or my fruits. But the days went by, and I was left unharmed. They gave me a new identity. They dressed me up, made me prettier than I already was, and suddenly, I found new friends.

The silence evaporated under the musical notes of laughter of the children who began to play around me. Beside me stood a gorgeous building, housing first four children, and then thirteen- this turned to fifty, and eventually to ninety two enthusiastic children. Every one of them began to play around me, sit under my shade, and run about my huge bark.

Only some of them know me as the Tamarind Tree; some call me imli ka ped, some call me chinta pandu. I have grown fond of each and every child who treats me with care and love. I have been given a little house perched on my branches which children visit once in a while, finding that my tree-tops provide a lovely view of their second home. I do hope that more children would venture into this lovely atmosphere of both fun and seriousness, and I hope that they spread their wings as I have spread my branches out.

By: Meena and Preeti