Miguel Braganza
After the Carnival and Shigmo, springtime is yielding space to the summer in Goa. The butter yellow flower bunches of the Amaltas, Cassia fistula, have made their appearance in Panaji. Locally known as a Bavo or Baya, the tree is also known as the ‘Golden Shower’, because the tree sheds its leaves in winter and its yellow flowers hang like bunches of grapes, or cherry blossoms dyed in gold. There is a cluster of these trees near the Pinto Rebelo mansion not far from Hotel Campal and the Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes municipal garden, which has played host to the ‘Konkan Fruit Fest’ many times since 2003.
The Rotary Clubs of Panaji have played a role in planting and nurturing roadside trees in Panaji. It all began with Rtn Andrew de Souza who planted many trees in Panaji, Merces, St. Cruz, and Ribandar. He added exotic trees like the Sausage Tree Kigelia africana, the Maple-leafed Champac, Pterospermum acerifolia and the golden flowered Albizia lebbek, a cousin of the Rain Tree, Albizia saman, which defines the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg since the 1950s and was planted in 1994 along the Miramar-Dona Paula bypass that has now been named the Dr. Jack Sequeira Road. The trees Souza planted in Panaji act as a living memorial to him.
In 2020, the Rotary Club of Miramar added a Baobab tree, Adansonia digitata at Dr. F.L. Gomes garden at the hands of Sanjit Rodrigues, the then CCP Commissioner. The Baobab lives for more than five thousand years and there are just six large trees in Goa. It survives to this day as does the lone Palash tree, Butea monosperma, that lent its name to the Battle of Plassey.
The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) and the Botanical Society of Goa (BSG) joined hands in 2002 to host a ‘Plant Utsav’ in the Garcia de Orta municipal garden in the Church Square. I have personally supervised the pruning of trees and removal of ‘Strangler Fig’ of the Ficus species from them during 2003 to 2012 with Damodar Pereira as the pointsman and Lumo as the expert woodcutter. This was discontinued due to various reasons and now the Strangler Figs are choking many trees to a slow death. There is a need to
rescue these trees.
In 2022, the young new Mayor of Panaji, Rohit Monserrate started the BSG campaign to plant fruit trees along the Dayanand Bandodkar road near the Art Park and ESG office in the old GMC complex. Later, the Rotary Clubs also planted fruit trees around the Dr. F.L. Gomes Municipal Garden. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us about the need to have local fruits available along the roadsides now as during the era when Roman Empire, armies marched across Europe and Asia and it was mandatory to grow fruit trees to ensure that the soldiers never starved. We can do likewise and give the joy of plucking fruits to the
future generations.
