Trees in Folk Songs: Tree theme has gone deep into the Indian folk songs and traditions. All languages and cultures of India are rich in folklore and songs that have woven into a rich varicoloured cultural tapestry. Much of the lore and folk songs are lost, the surviving ones give us the glimpses of the importance attached to the trees and plants by our ancestors. MS Randhawa writes in his book Flowering Trees in India and I quote: (Dr MS Randhawa, A very Civil Servant (ICS), remarkable scholar, writer, and administrator. He was also he Vice- President of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research, People qualify him as the sixth river of Punjab). “In almost all Indian languages, trees form the subject of many folksongs. Sometimes they are used as mere pegs to hang human emotions on, and they become symbols of man’s joy or grief. Occasionally, they are personified and they express their own feelings as in the following song: ‘The Semel tree meditates: Why are my flowers red? Why are not my flowers offered to gods and goddesses? Why doesn't the maid makes garlands of them?” Randhawa quotes from many folk songs from many languages, from across the Indian sub-continent in his book to illustrate the deep-rooted relationship between humans and trees. He comments that in folk songs often the woman represents the human soul, and the never-ending search of the soul for God is the theme of many of the songs. The other main theme is the representation of the pain and loneliness resulted from the separation of lovers. Whatever is the theme, trees appear again and again and they are treated as if they are the kith and kin of the singer. Hear these lines: ‘…The peepal sings; the banyan sings, And the green mulberry too: Stop, traveller, and listen, Your soul will be set again………’ ‘…The goddess feels hungry, brother, She asks for milk to drink. Shall I milk the banyan or the barohi tree? My raina cow has gone a long way off …….’ ‘…On the branches of the mango, a bunch of mangoes looks lovely, In the forest the palaas trees are blossoming; In the lap of the fair bride, the child looks lovely, As though the moon appeared in the sky.. On the branch of the mango, the koel sings In the forest the peacock dances; On the river bank, I sing my birha, It pierces the heart….’ (birha- for the Sanskrit viraha, separation from the loved one) Every tree had its own tale of woe, and such a tale is reflected in a folk song from Shimla: ‘O, cruel woodcutter, Cut merely my lower branches Do not stretch out your axe toward the top, O, leave it for the birds’ nests. .’ A Dhola song goes like this: ‘Living peelu tree! Your roots are gone deep into the soil, Well-shaped is your stem since birth, Over it, your branches have added colour, My neighbours are all ready for the journey, Drums have announced the news………’ Randhawa comments that in “such folk songs the woman represents the human soul, and the never-ending search of the soul for God is the theme of the dhola songs. Again and again, the peelu tree is addressed in the dhola song as if it understood the human voice, and when the search for God seems to bear no fruit, the singer looks towards the old forest tree for advice. These folk songs are the crystallization of inspiration provided by trees to humanity for thousands of years.” The most written about plant/flower is that of Lotus. That I reserve for another posting.