STANDING TALL
Heritage status is being sought for Andheri’s age-old baobab trees, the mammoth size and beauty of which sets them apart ……..PRIYANKA BHOSALE
The bustling, highly commercial area of SEEPZ in Andheri will now have a new natural landmark if the Tree Authority has its way. A grove of baobab trees in the vicinity could be the first trees in the city to get heritage status, and thus protection from the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC).
Nature enthusiast and secretary of St John the Baptist Church Save Committee, Biju Augustine, is campaigning for the special status for the trees as they are a rare species in the city.
The baobab, or Adansonia Digitata, is a native of Africa and these trees were planted in the premises of St John the Baptist Church by Portuguese missionaries in the 1580s. The mammoth size of the trees is what sets them apart. “The base of the tree looks like an elephant’s leg and five people would have to hold hands to cover the width of one trunk. Elders have used the baobab fruit called chori chinch to cure diabetes, owls nest in their massive branches, and bats pollinate these trees,” says Augustine.
Augustine wrote letters to the Tree Authority asking them to recommend heritage status to the MHCC. In reply, Avinash Kubal, a member of Tree Authority and deputy director of the Maharashtra Nature Park Society replied, “Looking at their beauty and lofty growth, I’m of the opinion that this is a rare sight and should be protected by giving them heritage status.”
Those who work in the SEEPZ area have no idea how special these tree are. “We would always marvel at the size of these trees which have been here ever since I joined in 1976. But I did not know these trees were so special,” said a security officer at SEEPZ.
The baobab trees are likely to be accorded heritage status by early July. “We still have to complete some formalities. Once the trees get heritage status, we will get rid of the creepers and fungi growing on them and hope that more people would come to see them,” said Augustine.