The historical banyan tree, the childhood memory of Mahakabi Michael Madhusudan Dutt and his famous quatrain poem ‘Batbriksha’, is no more. The tree was uprooted by the heavy Baisakhi storm that hit on Saturday afternoon. Due to the loss of this ancient tree, which is located in Malopara on the banks of the Kapotaksha River, which is the poet’s memorial, the shadow of grief has fallen among the local people and literature lovers.
Saturday afternoon suddenly in the cloudy sky, the Baisakhi storm hit the five villages of Sagardani. Hundreds of trees were uprooted by the storm. The biggest blow came on the 250 year old banyan tree in Malopara. The tree described in the poet’s poem ‘Batbriksha’ is uprooted along with its roots. Apart from this, the storm caused extensive damage to several other valuable plants inside Madhupalli.
Going to the surface on Sunday, it is seen that this old banyan tree is lying on the bank of Kapotaksha. Local photographer Mufti Taheruzzaman Tachu said that some branches of the tree are still stuck deep in the ground. If the forest department wants, it is possible to protect the marks or parts of the tree from these insects by scientific method.
Kavi Khosru Parvez, director and researcher of Madhusudan Academy, said, this banyan tree is not just a tree. It is a witness to the childhood of the epic poet and is part of our literature. Tourists come to Sagardandi and experience poetry through this tree. It is important to save at least some part of it.
Hasanuzzaman, the custodian of Sagardandi Madhupally, said that the uprooting of the tree in the storm has been seriously reported to the higher authorities. The work of assessing the damage inside Madhupalli is also going on. Keshabpur Upazila Forest Officer Sameeran Biswas said in this context, we are informing the higher authorities of the Forest Department through the local administration. It will be investigated whether any part of the tree can be regenerated or saved.The residents of Sagardandi and the cultured people of the country are seeking the quick intervention of the Department of Archeology and the Forest Department to protect this part of the banyan tree, which is enshrined in the memory of the poet.
