The long awaited book, Trees of IIC, a companion volume to Birds of IIC, both put together by Mr Samar Singh, was released during the IIC Experience in October 2007. Very appropriately the venue was the Gandhi Peace Plaza under the shelter of perhaps two of the most impressive trees of the IIC complex which, as Mr Samar Singh tells us in the Introduction, covers an area of approximately 5.7 acres, including the Annexe. I would imagine they head the list of 'heritage trees', being among the earliest to be planted in the initial years under the guidance of the visionaries who conceived and designed the India International Centre in the early 1960s.
Mr. Samar Singh pays tribute to C. D. Deshmukh, his wife Durgabai Deshmukh in particular, and other eminent nature lovers like Indira Gandhi, Karan Singh, B. P. Pal, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya and Joseph Allen Stein. Heavyweights indeed. Like these two trees: Ficus virens, earlier known as Ficus infectoria, or Pilkhan, described at p. 60.
I was particularly pleased that they had been honoured by including the specimen to the north, overlooking the lily pond and the main drive into the IIC, as the illustration for the main portion of the book--Tree Plates and their Descriptions. Pradip Krishen's artistry is evident in this photograph. The dark brooding presence of the tree, its gnarled subsidiary roots wrapped in a tight embrace around the trunk and at the base. Dappled sunlight on the grey stones of the patio and the clear sunlight playing of the foliage of the trees in the background. It captures Stein's vision of 'a place where a certain kind of relationship exists between the garden and the building and the water and the earth and the sky, and the learning and activities that take place and the things that happen.'
Alstonia scholaris, another heritage tree, features first as a focal point at the heart of the IIC, the inner courtyard. A minor liberty was taken with the alphabetic listing to achieve that and I'm glad for it. Acacia auriculiformis follows it. About 20 of the trees listed are in situ, actually identifiable as being in the grounds of the IIC but Mr. Samar Singh mentions the location only in the case of four. They are: Polyalthia coffeoides (p.96), 'single specimen behind the auditorium' which is 'yet to flower and bear fruit' suggesting perhaps that its identity is not entirely certain; Pongamia pinnata (Karanj) at p. 100, 'within the IIC there are two trees in the Annexe premises'; Spathodea campanulata or African Tulip Tree (p. 110), 'the sole tree in the IIC premises is near the gate of the Annexe building.' And Ficus racemosa (Goolar) at p. 58 gets a mention, 'Within the IIC, there are two trees growing at the back of the Annexe building.' It would have been very helpful, specially if we are trying to cultivate a sensitivity to nature, to have had one-line specific location tags for the remaining 15 or 16 ‘heritage’ trees also.
The descriptions tend to be very general where they need not have been. Specificity would certainly be of help if a Tree Walk was to be organised for either children or visitors. I can suggest a few additions for some of the obvious omissions. Cassia nodosa (p. 38): 'diagonally opposite the Alstonia near the entrance to the Coffee lounge; Chorisia speciosa (p.40): 'at the edge of the residential wing, dominating the drive around the circular lily pond; and Psuedobombax ellipticum (p.102): 'in the far corner of the main lawn to the right as you enter the main gate.' And so on. Most people tend not to notice trees. This might help to 'fix' them.
Another aid for a Tree Walk could be a Tree Map. Line drawings and a numbering system adopting the page numbers might be helpful. I cannot think of where to look for Chinar (p.92), Parkia (p. 86) or even Imli (p.118). How could I have missed them? The rest of the 30 Illustrations are quite stunning. Since most of the species have been noted as being suitable for parks/gardens or roadside planting, I would dearly love to know where some of those specimens are. For example, those described at p. 42 (Cycas revoluta, at Humayun's Tomb? It is still struggling to attain some size near the Reception at the IIC) and at p. 106 (Traveller's palm). Pradip Krishen surely kept a good log.
Quibbling apart, this is a very handsome book, lovingly and beautifully produced. Congratulations to all concerned. May each of the 6,000 members mentioned by Dr Karan Singh buy a copy.
Jasjit Mansingh is a free lance copy editor and writer. She has written three books. She scripts and voices for radio and runs a mail order book service. She is a Member of IIC