magnificence

one of the enormous trees that make India so very special for me. they are the home of many species of birds, of lively little striped squirrels, of butterflies, of all sorts of insects, of sleeping dogs, tired men and women, of flying foxes, hanging upside down during the day and slowly spreading their large wide wings, from totally folded position to exquisitely intricate flying mechanisms. these trees provide such large areas of shade that often they form the centre of a village, people make round platforms all around their trunks and in the cool of the evening one hears the murmur, the sudden laughs and the songs of the villagers, the townsfolk, the city dwellers and the mega-city's worn-out workers who come and take rest at the foot of these giants. During certain seasons the abundant clusters of flowers of these trees bewitch you into believing that here is a true angel bedecked with coloured lights, bringing peace and alleviation to the little racing toy-figures in their cars, on their bikes, their carts, in their torn clothes, pushing, pressing, evading and halting-who finally may sit down and rest and inhale the freshness of the trees' breath.