Published 14:39 IST, July 5th 2020
Amitabh Bachchan's mourns his 43-year-old Gulmohar tree; says it was 'generous in death'
The significantly old Gulmohar tree at Amitabh Bachchan's home 'Prateeksha' was uprooted by the winds. The superstar took a trip down memory lane to eulogize it
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Amitabh Bachchan dedicated his latest blog entry to the memory of the 43-year-old Gulmohar tree that stood in the middle of the lawn outside his sprawling bungalow 'Prateeksha' in Mumbai. The veteran superstar shared the history of the tree and shared that he was inspired by a "Palace in the North" to plant it in its place. As he shared the relevance of the tree and its significance through the years, he also revealed that his children were married under the shade of the mighty tree that fell earlier this week.
Amitabh Bachchan wrote, "It had served its time .. and voluntarily dropped .. broke away from its roots and fell .. and with it fell 43 years of its history .. its life and all that it represented ... the day in 1976 we moved into the first house that this generation had ever bought and built, and called its own .. it was planted as a sapling , a mere few inches in its height .. in the middle of the lawn that surrounded the property .."
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He added, "the children grew up around it .. as did the grandchildren .. their birthdays and the festivities of festivals all decorated this GulMohar beautiful tree , with its bright orange flowers that bloomed during the summer .. the children did get married just a few feet away from it .. and it stood guardian above them .. its branches bowed down with the weight of grief and sorrow when the elders passed away .. Babuji, Maa ji .. their prayer meet on the 13th and the 12th day after the passing all within its shadow of grief .. the holika .. the burning of the evil forces a day before the celebrations of Holi , burnt about it .. as did all the lights of Deepavali adorn its branches .. the pooja’s of Satyanarayan and the havans for peace and prosperity , within its watchful grace.'
He continued, "and today away from all the miseries that abound .. it quietly fell .. without harming a soul .. slipped down and lay there motion less .. the flowers it enriched itself with strewn about .. the branches and leaves upon it unmoving despite the breeze of the monsoon showers .. quiet .. gigantic .. and generous in its death.". Sharing a string of photos of the uprooted tree, he also penned a poem for the lost Gulmohar tree.
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Have a look:
उँगली भर कोंपल , लगाई थी हमने , इस बहु सुंदर गुलमोहर वृक्ष की ,
चालिस तीन बरसों तक साथ दिया उसने , आज अचानक हमें छोड़ दिया उसने ।
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ऐतिहासिक वर्ष बिताए थे हमने , इसकी सुगंधित छात्र छाया में ,
शोक है दर्द है , फिर से उगाएँगे , हम , इक नयी कोंपल पल भर में ।। ~ ab
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14:39 IST, July 5th 2020