The Mother relocates ...

A phone call from Mr SK Rajeshwaran, my husband‘s cousin brother , was a dream come true for me .....

For almost 2 years I have envisioned having a banyan tree at our school premises....Excited at the offer, I went with my son to his factory premises on 4th July to see the banyan tree.He said he was clearing up the space for some other purpose and the tree was standing as an impediment. The sheer size and magnitude perplexed me and I was not prepared mentally and emotionally to uproot such a huge tree .....
I walked around her looking up at her towering branches and threw many questions to the universe.”Are you okay to uproot yourself ?will you survive the torturous process ?...”
As an answer, to our surprise, a few drops of rain fell on us and I said to myself , “ if the rain stops then it is a message for me “ and the rain stopped and I got my answer .....I felt the mother has taken her decision.....

Back home, I contacted Mr.Arunachalam, our natural farming consultant and he came the very next day .. He gave confidence that it is possible . We selected the site at Agastya Academy campus and a truck mounted Hitachi was called to dig the pit 20 feet diameter, 7 feet deep . It rained at night. Rain god had watered the pit naturally. The cow manure and ash that we had filledin had soaked well and  the pit was ready to hold the mother in her bosom. 

At school, the drivers and maids team was all excited and they prepared “piri”(hay rolled out to make soft rope) to wrap around the tree to provide cushioning during transportation. 
That night as I was reading, I had a flash ...the tree would be named mother Mira .....maybe, inspired by my visits to auroville, mother’s name flashed ?The banyan tree there is very special to me and I have spent hours meditating, hugging the tree to find answers to many questions....
But I had a disturbed sleep that night.I asked myself ...do I revel in the fact that the mother is relocating herself to her new home at agastya or do I wriggle in pain looking at her branches being chopped off the next day?.I put my questions to rest and quietened my mind. 

The next day Mr. Arunachalam was there on time and we set out to the venue. We performed puja for the mother to get her permission to start the process. As I walked around her, I perceived the face of an elephant in certain dimensions. On close observation, various forms on the huge trunk and aerial roots revealed the beauty in nature. It was quite a task for me to accept the fact that some of her arms are going to be chopped, her feet would soon be damaged.... I prayed to her to bear with the pain..As the giant metal wheeled Hitachi rolled down from the truck to take a dig at her powerful feet, I distracted myself now and then, to read the book that I had carried along with. As the metal claws tugged at her many root fingers, I could just feel her pain.

Pain is real for plant kingdom too. Dr.Jagdish Chandra Bose has proved many times through varied experiments about emotion and perception in plants. The Mother at Auroville has given many examples in her  books about how plants connect at the spiritual level.
Our drivers team at Agastya were ready making a healing paste to plaster the chopped arms. We were doing our best. Her child, an aerial root ( so unique of the banyan tree species alone) who had taken root nearby was cut off from the mother. She stood strong, looking at her mother. She too was waiting to get relocated to a place a few hundred metres away from her mother’s new home.

The process of chopping the arms and loosening of the soil took close to 3 hours. The decision was taken to transplant her on the same day (sometimes if the roots are very deep, transplanting is done after 5 to 8 days of cutting the roots)because the roots were not too deep in the rocky terrain.

A 12 tonne crane was summoned and the process of chaining her with soft cloth belts (which still peel her skin)was started.The crane pulled and shook the mother in vain but only lost control. The same happened when the Hitachi pulled her roots. She was sitting strong. The machine operators were helpless. The operation was postponed to the next day.

On july 11, two more cranes were called in  to make sure that she was lifted in a sleeping position to minimize the damage. All three giant machines tugged at her feet and slowly she was giving way. It was not a good feeling to watch her pain  but my hope was, we would take good care of her. Our teachers and children at school would love her and she would not regret her decision to relocate herself. 
The mother released herself from the soil.What an unseperable bond the roots and the soil share. I had a closer look at the soil below her roots. So rich in humus. I visualised trillions of microorganisms bidding a tearful goodbye to the Mother...
The cranes carried the mother upto the 30 tonne open body truck and placed her nearby. Loading her on top is going to be a big exercise too.she has to be seated with the right balance for the vehicle to steer without toppling. To their dismay, they noticed that she was oversize; peeping 3 feet on either side of the truck body. The truck driver refused to take the risk of going on the highway. The tree cutter was again summoned.The mother’s arms were furthur chopped. And somewhere inside me I was feeling lost and the scorching sun was taking its toll on the entire team, despite the resolve to shift at the earliest.

The mother seated herself in the truck at 2 noon, and just as we were leaving, the crane operator took a piece of metal from below the tyre ( it was the Thrishul , kept in Hindu temples, as a protection in front of deities)The mother had reminded us at the right moment to carry her possessions safe. Some people may call this coincidence. But I believe they are divine messages.

There are many tense moments to recall , but we encountered our first one, right at the turning outside the gate ...An overhead cable sparked but I was thankful that it did not snap.The driver refused to proceed furthur. I sat there helpless. When we attempt tasks beyond our control, surrender to the divine power is the only way to achieve peace of mind. 

The team managed to find a way to manouver the electric lines and we set out on our drive. The Agastya Academy school bus took the role of the pilot vehicle in front of the truck which was carrying the mother and a crane was behind her to clear the way on the highway. I sat on the bus looking at her all through ...her magnificent roots facing the front, gave me the image of Kaali with her arms spread out. In this avatar she does not hold a sword. She spreads her arms to embrace her children. It was a thrilling experience to see bystanders captured her image in mobile phones. Some motorists followed our vehicle for a distance to shoot videos. A photographer sprint out of the studio to take a quick picture.
The Mother entered agastya campus and as the truck drove in , it started to drizzle . The timing was not a coincidence. The mother had willed it to happen.  I was almost in tears and I had the image of “parashakthi/Kaali riding an elephant “ .The Mother  found her way to her new home and we were her instruments.

Our farming teacher ms. selvi was waiting with aavarampoo flowers (plucked right next to the pit) along with our athletic coach, site manager, Watchman and the construction workers . The 30 km journey had take us three hours and the entire excavation team looked tired. They had skipped lunch too. So I asked them to eat something as it was already 6 PM. But they insisted on completing the work. Just then  it started to rain heavily and they had no choice but to finish fuelling their body  cells ! I was overjoyed at the love of the mother to feed her children who had shifted her with such care and concern.

In Exactly 15 minutes, the rain stopped and by 7 PM we started our task.It took the team close to 2 hours to figure out the positions to lift and pull her into the pit.One small error could put all the three cranes off balance when they are placing her inside.I sat in quiet Meditation hoping and praying that she does not fall hard inside,lest hurt her tender root system. Thankfully, she decided to movein slowly and gently. Yes.She settled into her chosen spot asif she was “ sitting” inside safe and strong. The team clapped and rejoiced. We performed puja and left home at 10:30.
Thank you mother Mira... You have “ willed yourself” to settle safe at our school to bless our children with your bounty....

I seek the reader of article to pray for her wellbeing ........🦋🦜🐿the birds,bees and butterflies are waiting to find their home in her bosom.........

K

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