5 months ago
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A signature run is going connected to prevention a monolithic tamarind histrion successful a southbound Kolkata neighbourhood, thing that residents and activists fearfulness mightiness beryllium brought down if the medication does not specifically people it arsenic protected.
The histrion is important not conscionable due to the fact that it is simply a surviving landmark, serving arsenic a location to galore varieties of birds, but besides due to the fact that it was planted by state combatant Parul Mukherjee astir 70 years ago. She was a revolutionary who successful 1935, erstwhile she was lone 20, was convicted successful the Titagarh conspiracy lawsuit and spent 4 years successful jail. After Independence and Partition, she moved to Calcutta to a exile colony that was subsequently named Vidyasagar Colony, wherever she died successful 1990.
Only precocious a documentary made connected the tree, Friends of Jilipibala, was selected for satellite premiere successful the National Competition connected Documentary class astatine the Kolkata International Film Festival. “I person been documenting this tamarind histrion for 12 years and person witnessed the astonishing biodiversity it supports. This histrion is presently connected nationalist land, but contempt our petitions and letters to each kinds of authorities officials for much than a year, determination is inactive nary denotation of its protected status. We are urging the Kolkata Municipal Corporation erstwhile again to prevention this icon of municipality biodiversity,” filmmaker Debalina Majumder, who lives successful the neighbourhood and who made the 30-minute documentary, told The Hindu.
A question to prevention the histrion was started successful July 2024 aft builders took implicit the spot wherever the state combatant lived and erstwhile it seemed the histrion would beryllium taken down anytime. Various activities were held astatine the spot — concerts, storytelling bird-watching — to gully attraction to its vulnerability. The bound partition of the location was past restructured to spot the tree on Kolkata Municipal Corporation land.
But fears astir its aboriginal returned past period erstwhile different histrion successful the neighbourhood, which besides stood connected nationalist land, was chopped down, to facilitate the replacement of a lamppost adjacent to it. That was the crushed the signature run was started past week connected Christmas Day.
“This histrion stands connected nationalist road, but the country adjoining is being redeveloped, placing it astatine hazard of being felled. Keeping successful caput the immense publication of revolutionary Parul Mukherjee to the independency of India, and to this colony, and to support and sphere the biodiversity, we are penning this petition,” said the papers for which signatures are being collected.
Residents and activists privation the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to contented a protective bid to guarantee that the tamarind histrion is not removed, damaged, oregon chopped down, make a monument to Parul Mukherjee adjacent the tree, and instal an informational signage astatine the tract detailing its humanities value publication to section biodiversity and assemblage identity.
“This histrion is not simply a botanical specimen — it is simply a awesome of resilience, shared history, and ecological harmony. Its preservation would bespeak Kolkata’s committedness to honouring its past portion fostering sustainable municipality living,” said the petition, signed truthful acold by astir 450 radical physically and 3,200 online.
