The Success Story Of A Tree...

As the countdown to bid farewell to year 2011 begins, it is the time to look at the year being left behind, in retrospect…Also, the time to review the Images’ statistics and various analytical reports of http://www.lensdepictions.com/ for the year. The next post of the blog will feature all the images that have topped the charts for various interesting categories this year.

Personally however, the “Most Searched lensdepictions Image of The Year” is somewhat special of them all. It has made me wonder about certain things, made me pause for a while, and think…

Here is presenting the lensdepictions image getting the maximum number of views through the medium of search engines this year, titled- “Palash branch against summer sky”!

Most Searched lensdepictions Image of The Year...

 

Well, there are still few days left for the year to conclude, regardless, I can safely declare this image as the most searched lensdepictions Image of the year, right now itself. Simply because, this image is way ahead of the number two image in this category!

And, like any remarkable photograph, it has a story behind it too…

It was March- the month of spring, and I was on my way to a well-known Jyotirling temple of Lord Shiva in Maharashtra, India. Sitting in the back seat of the car, I was casually looking outside the window, watching the green agricultural fields on the side of the highway, passing by in front of me… all of a sudden, I spotted this amazing tree… It looked absolutely magical to me- A brown tree loaded with abundance of beautiful, fresh, rich pink flowers but… without a single leaf! However, before I could examine it or think any further, the car just zipped past the spot. 

Through the rear window of the car, I kept staring back at the tree, as long as I could… Until, it faded away from my sight, completely. I inquired everyone in the car, including the driver, if anyone knew which tree that was, but nobody had the knowledge.

...Now that I know everything about the tree, it feels strange, how come I was so unaware of such a wonderful tree (Actually, not entirely my fault; Palash generally grows in rural/forest areas and people like me who spend their whole lives in cities often tend to remain deprived of these natural wonders only a village can educate one about)…

The next thing I did was, I quickly remembered few landmarks that could help me spot the very same place on my way back. In the return journey, I kept my eyes firmly glued to the view outside. At no cost I was ready to miss the tree again. After a long wait (or it felt to me that way), finally, I saw the tree from a distance; As soon as it approached closer, I got down, hardly waiting for the car to stop...

The tree was standing there lonely, in the middle of someone’s agricultural land protected with barbed wires fence. But, trespassing comes naturally to me, when the reward is nature.

Without thinking much, I slipped inside, the watered earth under my feet made my footwear and clothes laced with mud. But, what I longed for since hours was right in front of me. Its leaf-less branches was a mystery, its flowers were divine, there was beauty in its peace, and there was wisdom in its silence. And I knew, I had made my day…

But what I did not, was the popularity of the tree. Apart from having a number of medicinal values, in Indian culture, Palash is considered a very a sacred tree used in many religious rituals. Also known as the “Flame of the forest”, the tree, they say- is nature’s way of playing “Holi- an Indian festival of colors”. 

Now that a Palash image has managed to top the list of most searched lensdepictions images this year, it makes me realize how much in demand the tree must be. Be it among botany students, nature lovers, spiritual seekers or NRIs missing their roots, so many people from all around the world have searched images of “Palash-tree” on web, and hundreds of time, they have found it on lensdepictions. This is humbling, indeed!

The triumph of the simple image, and thereby a simple tree, confirms my belief that it is the most simple things in our lives that are the most extra-ordinary!

 Images & Article ©2011 Gyaneshwari Dave