Kalasipalaya - A Debate

It was with great indignation, upon reading the news that 24 trees were going to face the axes for a new bus terminal at Kalasipalaya, that we (Vijay Nishanth [ you can contact him on Vijay@vruksha.com] and myself) set out to document the trees and almost 8000 of parakeets that roost in those trees despite the obvious mess and pollution and indescribable noise levels all around. We had to make 3 attempts to get all the details. With the kind cooperation and the support of a local temple priest we managed to get access to the temple roof and a rather shaky metal scaffolding from where we had a vantage point and view of the entire place.

One side barren... other side with sparse disappearing greenery....

It was immediately obvious to us that the trees that would face the axes were the only ones in that entire area, taking in the pollution of almost on a rough estimate 500 buses and innumerable other vehicles. It was also extremely difficult to even imagine as to how all the parakeets came to roost there despite the pollution.

Shimmering dust in the evening light...

One of the home to the 8000 parakeets...

and un-breathable air...

By 5:45 pm the families started returning home. First it started in small batches and then we were surrounded by parakeets all around.  The fading light and the sun against us permitted only some really pretty silhouettes in the evening, but the sight was incredible. The trees were soon full and very surprisingly the noise of the traffic actually drowned in the parakeet calls.

Roosting time

Dark shapes outlining the branches 

and a couple against the brightly lit temple premises....

We knew however one more visit would be necessary to get these birds in good light or at least enough light to be able to see them well. But as we said our thanks and goodbye to the temple priest we heard another side to the story too. This area, the 1st one to get electricity in all of Asia was still the most filthiest place. The roads, the footpaths all dumped with garbage, stink all around and how did people even live there? He was glad that at last something good is happening to that area. We knew then that we had to cover both sides of the story.
Early next morning the 1st stop was anyways for the parakeets and this is what we saw.

Probably more parakeets than leaves on the trees.

and then some more....

And so many more....

Well now that you get the idea... we had another area to cover and this is what we saw...

The ground realities....

What is behind the buses stays behind the buses...

Plastic Delicacy....

and the freshest of flowers of course....

Can food get any more tastier than this? 

How much more sacred can this get?

We understood that this area needed development and there was no denying that, but the trees in this area were the only one to take in all the poison and clean the air to whatever extent they could besides of course being the home for these really strong heart parakeets. So where is the solution? This place needs both CLEAN and GREEN... Is there any option to achieve both? Can there be alternate greening? These people deserve cleanliness. The temple priest had a valid point by wanting the area near the temple to be clean. The vendors who spend their day in the filth in an effort to make a living deserve a better place, but we also need the trees to compensate for the pollution and all the poison in the air from what is possibly one of the most congested and polluted areas of Bangalore... So you tell us cannot development and environment go hand in hand instead of being in eternal combat with each other?

The threatened species of trees are : Rain tree, Copperpod, Peepal , Eucalyptus species