In my early years in Ahmedabad, like all other Amdavadis, I was in love with the tree of Aso Palav (Aso Palav in Gujarati, Ashoka in Hindi and Polyalthia longifolia in English). What fascinated me was while all other trees grew and branch in all directions, Aso Palav choose to grow absolute linear and perpendicular to earth. Every tenement in Ahmedabad, even if it had only four feet of courtyard, would be lined with trees of Aso Palav.
I used to wonder as to when and how Aso Palav picked this animosity with birds. While all other trees will spread and welcome birds to them with open arms, Aso Palav shriveled to close all relations with them. With its drooping branches and sagging leaves no bird chose to sit on them leave alone the possibility of making a nest there. Another reason for our allure for Aso Palav was it great friendliness for kites. While all other trees will hold or tore our kites which got entangled with them, Aso Palav will curve and twist its leaves a bit and release the kite and the precious dori. Though they would not shed much leaves, but whenever they chose to do so, they would be disciplined and create the pile just under the tree rather than littering the entire ground as other trees would do. During rains we will watch with great interest as to how the relaxed leaves with their warped corners will form a capillary to transfer the water immediately from top to ground. Strong winds would scare us. But Aso Palav will bend and bow to dodge them.
We would desperately wait for the Friday evening, which was just not only the chance to watch the Amitabh or Dharmendra movies projected on the wall in the big lawns, but also an opportunity to get inside my father’s office, which housed the tallest Aso Palav trees in the city. Some of the Aso Palav trees there were so tall that they would almost compete with the fifth or sixth floors of the building. During Diwali times my mother would tell us to pluck a few branches of Aso Palav to weave the leaves together to form a Toran to hang on top of the house door. Many years later I visited Shimla for the first time and that was my first introduction with Aso Palav’s hill cousin Devdar(Himalayan Cedar). Though beautiful Devdar dreaded me. I could cuddle Aso Palav anyday, but Devdar appeared so big and snooty. Though lesser in density, fortunately, Aso Palav grow in almost all parts of country. Where ever I visit my eyes will continue to search first for the towering presence of Aso Palavs.
