The Sycamore

There was a "Travelers’ Bungalow" in the place where the town bus stand is today in Palakkad. The travelers' bungalow was pulled down long ago but the road passing in front of the travelers’ bungalow is still named "T B Road."

 

There is a very old sycamore tree standing on the western side of the shopping complex. The tree was on the left of the entrance to the travelers’ bungalow. From the structure and size of its bark, it seems like it might have been standing over there for more than a century.

The tree was still there when I was a university student fifty years ago. Every day we would pass the travelers’ bungalow, and every day I used to appreciate the beauty of the magnificent tree. The tree added elegance to the bungalow, though there were many trees in the compound. 

Now the bungalow and all the other trees are gone, and the sycamore alone stands in the bus parking area. Whenever I come to the town stand or pass it, I still observe it with the same charm I had for it. The sycamore stands like a sentinel when the buses pass by, but the buses spew dust and smoke onto it. I affectionately pat it whenever I come close to it. Sadly, every time I go near the neglected sycamore, I feel like the tree is lamenting over its glorious past.