Ancolie Stoll likes one such place called Nilatangam, a 7.5 hectare tree plantation project started by her European ancestors when Auroville was first established.
Nilatangam has tall trees from different parts of the world but of only a few species. It is not as thick and difficult as the forests of the sacred forests. Instead, the trees are well spaced, like garden plants, with walkways and plenty of space for the plants to grow naturally.
Stoll works with Blanchflower and Baldwin in the garden and says that, in Nilatangam, he has recently planted a large variety of this type of green. In the midst of unnatural trees from the time of his ancestors, he points to the places where such trees were planted.
Over time, they will plant more, as new varieties become available, he explains. The work is slow, but they hope to create a proper dry green forest in a few years.
Evergreen trees dominate the 20-hectare Pitchandikulam Forest and Bioresource Center and the adjacent Auroville Botanical Gardens. Baldwin, Blanchflower, and their botanical garden team are working to determine the growth and diversity of Auroville’s species.
Education is the main goal of the gardens, and this is where Sathyamurthy plays an important role. On a trip to the Auroville forests and to the sanctuary, he teaches the students about the importance of nature and the nature of the forest.
I understand what students may experience when Sathyamurthy guides me to Keezhputhupattu just after the rains in November 2021. The smell of wet soil mingles with incense and jasmine garlands as we pass shrines and flower vendors. Inside the forest, we walk in red soil like a cross, deep to our feet; around us there are huge trees, two or three stories high. Sathyamurthy continues undisturbed, leaving behind the soles of his rubber boots.
He stops every now and then to inform me in Tamil, and in clear English, about the medicine or nature of certain plants. They share their scientific names with Tamil equivalents respectively. The ironwood tree, so called they arose in Tamil, it is very valuable as medicine. Women break vegetables and rice and eat the mixture as a tonic to help with postpartum recovery, he says. The tropical ebony, called carungaali, used for making musical and agricultural instruments. Its most sought-after branches are hung on doors to ward off evil spirits. We stop often – it seems like Sathyamurthy has a story for every plant, and hopes that his interest will inspire the students who take him to the forest.
Sathyamurthy feels that the students have given the opportunity to sacred gardens in their villages. He believes that such trips help build relationships between trees and students. The students leave the field with seeds, branches, and instructions on how to plant native trees in the common areas of their villages.
Teaching the next generation about the importance of these forests may be the key to their survival, because although their temples are important to religious groups, these sacred gardens are not protected from the threats of urbanization, including the removal of medical and cultural services.
For example, Keezhputhupattu receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year, and the villagers struggle to prevent outsiders’ contact with the forest. Visitors and pet owners make mistakes too.
Outside the forest, Sathyamurthy sees three boys rowing on a tree. They can hold a large branch. After pulling for a long time, he cuts one branch from the tree. The leaves fall with a loud, tired sound. These men happily haul in their loot, perhaps for medicinal or cultural use.
Sathyamurthy shakes his head in disapproval and says that there is a need to deal with the threats in the forest. Later, they tell me that losing the sacred forests is like an attack on the life of their community.
This is why seed collection, nurseries, tree planting, and awareness of evergreen dry forests are important. If anything is removed, there is no chance for the forest to recover and “build banks,” Blanchflower says. Reforestation “puts energy back in the bank.”
