Category: Environment

One beautiful, pleasant, sunny morning, a tiny, attractive, and colourful bird flew over a pretty and striking tree.

“Hey! Who are you?” asked the bird.

The lovely tree smiled gently and replied, “I’m Vaimaram! I am a special tree. My scientific name is Chloroxylon swietenia. I belong to the Rutaceae family (/ruːˈteɪsiːiː/), and my common name is East Indian Satinwood.”

A mischievous squirrel jumped onto the branch and asked, “What are those leaves doing on that white sheet?”

Vaimaram opened its mouth and spoke gently. “Yes! They are my leaves. They were collected, dried, and carefully placed on this sheet. It is called a herbarium.”

An excited child stepped closer to the tree and asked, “What is the purpose of keeping your dried leaves?”

Vaimaram replied gently, “Then people can remember me, learn about me, and notice trees like me. My name, family, place, and date are written on the sheet too.”

Then an attractive bird twittered, “So, even when your leaves are dry, your story continues?”

“That’s right!” smiled Vaimaram.

“My dried leaf on this sheet carries a little story from nature to the present and upcoming generations!”

Vaimaram’s Request to All of Us:

We stand tall and touch the sky,
We yield you shade as clouds pass by,
Our leaves might be dried, but stories stay,
Protect us (trees) in your every way!

“Let us remember the words of our forefather Thiruvalluvar,” said Vaimaram gently, and through this Kural, he conveyed a truth known to everyone gathered around: rain gives life to trees, and trees, in turn, give life to humans. So, saving nature means saving our own future.

In a nutshell:

“Protect trees today; preserve life for tomorrow.”

“Every leaf has a story. Every tree has a purpose.”