Ants eat away memories of state visits to Rajghat
8 Oct 2013 5:56 AM IST
We are not talking of any war games here but the painful death that the trees planted by the likes of presidents Bill Clinton and Vladimir Putin are going to meet at their home in Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. During a visit to Rajghat, Millennium Post discovered that the Himchampa (Mangolia Grandiflora) sampling planted by visiting US president Bill Clinton on 22 March, 2000 to show his respect to the great worshiper of truth and non-violence, is on the verge of extinction as ants have eaten up almost the entire bark and only a thin strip remains (see pictures). Ants have also attacked the base of the Himchampa tree planted in symmetry to Clinton’s plant by incumbent Russian president Vladimir Putin on November 2001 at the VIP gate of Rajghat.
Putin’s plant also has the steel placard near it missing. When asked about the plight of other such ‘high-profile’ plants, Ranjit Singh, Secretary, Rajghat Samadhi Samity, took a day’s time to locate the plants as the placards of most of them are missing.
The next day, Singh escorted this reporter to the area where the trees planted by Putin and other dignitaries are. But the trees (planted by Clinton and Putin), which are 13 and 12 years old respectively, look rather weak now. ‘Pests and termites often make house at the base of the plants and damage them. This being a river bank, the nature of soil is sandy which is not good for the development of trees,’ explained Singh.
The oldest plantation registered at Rajghat is of 1 July, 1950. The last such plantation was by former president of India Pratibha Patil in 2007, who planted a mango sampling to show her respect to the father of nation after becoming the first woman to assume the high office.
The sapling planted by her also could not be easily located and Singh had to refer to a map to search the mango plant, which is thankfully growing properly, though the steel label is missing. Similarly, over dozens of labels have been destroyed and though many are still intact their plants are missing.
Putin’s plant also has the steel placard near it missing. When asked about the plight of other such ‘high-profile’ plants, Ranjit Singh, Secretary, Rajghat Samadhi Samity, took a day’s time to locate the plants as the placards of most of them are missing.
The next day, Singh escorted this reporter to the area where the trees planted by Putin and other dignitaries are. But the trees (planted by Clinton and Putin), which are 13 and 12 years old respectively, look rather weak now. ‘Pests and termites often make house at the base of the plants and damage them. This being a river bank, the nature of soil is sandy which is not good for the development of trees,’ explained Singh.
The oldest plantation registered at Rajghat is of 1 July, 1950. The last such plantation was by former president of India Pratibha Patil in 2007, who planted a mango sampling to show her respect to the father of nation after becoming the first woman to assume the high office.
The sapling planted by her also could not be easily located and Singh had to refer to a map to search the mango plant, which is thankfully growing properly, though the steel label is missing. Similarly, over dozens of labels have been destroyed and though many are still intact their plants are missing.
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