Using natural borders for AUW: Palmyra palm trees
by Mohima Gomes, Nafisa Islam, Nazifa Rafa
Deaths caused by lightning has been in the headlines of local newspapers since the beginning of the monsoon, spreading distress within the Bangladeshi government. What can undertake nature other than nature itself? Palmyra trees, well-reputed for its ability to arrest lightning, are being planted along the borders of the campus of the AUW at Pahartoli to serve as a natural fence. The idea came from Dr. Selvakumar and Dr. Ahmedul Kabir, also an Assistant Professor at AUW. The plan came to being when Dr. Kabir learned about Kamal Ahmad’s (Founder of AUW) vision of having a beautified boundary for the campus site. Dr. Kabir’s passion for agriculture steered him towards exploring the possibility of a natural boundary, to which, Dr. Selvakumar suggested using Asian Palmyra trees (Borassus flabellifer) to line the borders of the AUW campus when discussions regarding it first arose.
Dr. Kabir and Dr. Selvakumar explained that Asian Palmyra trees are known to be extremely strong and take a long time to grow so they do not need constant maintenance, unlike other plants. Additionally, they have their own self-defense mechanism, which makes them insusceptible to penetration, like from cattle. Dr. Kabir felt that the use of Asian Palmyra as a natural barrier also cut down the costs associated with building a brick wall. In the long-run, the Asian Palmyra has the potential to provide food supplements, especially palm juice and jaggery. There is also the possibility of having economic benefits from the production of these supplements, thus giving opportunity to the promotion of establishing a green economy.
This is not the first time that AUW has worked for a green cause. On the 27th of September 2019, students of AUW marched on the Sholoshohor Railway station, drawing attention by holding protest signs like “Hot guys might be attractive but a hot planet is not”. A joint collaboration with AUW Sustainable Development Goals Club, AUW Waste Management Club and Brighters Society of Bangladesh (BSB), their initiative was a part of the Global Climate Strike and reverberation of the wails of the anger of the Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg and her movement called “Fridays for Future.”
The developing Bangladesh is already grappling with developmental issues like poverty and inequality. Must it also lose sleep over mitigation of emissions, even when it stands so low at the global ranking of a carbon footprint per capita? The simple answer is: it doesn’t have to. The inherent flaw in forming such a narrative lies in isolating such developmental issues from climate change. A lot of developmental issues are intertwined with the impacts of climate change. Solutions as simple as Palmyra plantation not only contribute to the world’s carbon sink, but also give rise to monetary benefits- each full-grown palm tree is worth over $300. Considering how neighboring areas, like Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, recognized the advantages of Palmyra plantations and have instituted their own Palmyra Development Board, it is about time Bangladesh starts its own, even if it is only to fight the growing cases of deaths caused by lightning.
“তালগাছ এক পায়ে দাঁড়িয়ে
সব গাছ ছাড়িয়ে
উঁকি মারে আকাশে।
মনে সাধ, কালো মেঘ ফুঁড়ে যায়,
একেবারে উড়ে যায়
কোথা পাবে পাখা সে ।“
সব গাছ ছাড়িয়ে
উঁকি মারে আকাশে।
মনে সাধ, কালো মেঘ ফুঁড়ে যায়,
একেবারে উড়ে যায়
কোথা পাবে পাখা সে ।“
"On one leg stands the palm tree
Over the canopy
Peeping into the sky
Wishing to rise through the clouds,
And fly.
Oh if it only had wings!"
তালগাছ (Taal Gachh) by Rabindranath Tagore, translated to English
The Asian Palmyra tree, or “Taal Gachh” as we know it in Bangla language, has its own cultural uniqueness in the South-Asian region. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore cites the Asian Palmyra tree in many of his writings, giving credit to the latter for helping him write. His love for the tree drove him to write his famous poem “Taal Gachh Ek Paaye Daariye”, which is famous among Bengali children. Dr. Paulraj Mosae Selvakumar, an Assistant Professor at Asian University for Women (AUW) pointed out that today’s world is experiencing various crises in the domains of environment, energy, health and economic, all of which arose due to ecological imbalances. He believes that “a self-reliant and eco-friendly community living is the best way for sustainable development”, and he views Asian Palmyra trees as one of the best ways to realize the goal. Currently researching on Asian Palmyra trees, Dr. Selvakumar draws his inspiration from the trees’ deep significance in Tamil culture, where it is called katpaha tharu, or ‘celestial tree.’ It derives its name from the fact that every part of the tree can be used to satisfy the most basic needs, such as food, shelter, security, medicine, and clothing.
Deaths caused by lightning has been in the headlines of local newspapers since the beginning of the monsoon, spreading distress within the Bangladeshi government. What can undertake nature other than nature itself? Palmyra trees, well-reputed for its ability to arrest lightning, are being planted along the borders of the campus of the AUW at Pahartoli to serve as a natural fence. The idea came from Dr. Selvakumar and Dr. Ahmedul Kabir, also an Assistant Professor at AUW. The plan came to being when Dr. Kabir learned about Kamal Ahmad’s (Founder of AUW) vision of having a beautified boundary for the campus site. Dr. Kabir’s passion for agriculture steered him towards exploring the possibility of a natural boundary, to which, Dr. Selvakumar suggested using Asian Palmyra trees (Borassus flabellifer) to line the borders of the AUW campus when discussions regarding it first arose.
Dr. Kabir and Dr. Selvakumar explained that Asian Palmyra trees are known to be extremely strong and take a long time to grow so they do not need constant maintenance, unlike other plants. Additionally, they have their own self-defense mechanism, which makes them insusceptible to penetration, like from cattle. Dr. Kabir felt that the use of Asian Palmyra as a natural barrier also cut down the costs associated with building a brick wall. In the long-run, the Asian Palmyra has the potential to provide food supplements, especially palm juice and jaggery. There is also the possibility of having economic benefits from the production of these supplements, thus giving opportunity to the promotion of establishing a green economy.
The Assistant Professors’ suggestion was well-received among the AUW authorities, and soon, an action plan was formulated along with Kamal Ahmad, Dr. Nirmala Rao (Vice Chancellor of AUW) and Dr. Rania Kassem (Dean of Students), that involved students to work at the heart of the plan to create a natural barrier around the campus site which is of 140 acres with a 5km boundary. Invoking interest among the students was easy, given the support received from other faculty members like Dr. Mukesh Gupta and Dr. Sayed Mohammad Nazim Uddin, as well as the Office of Student Activities. Perhaps the most important action was to hold a workshop by Dr. Selvakumar in collaboration with the AUW Sustainable Development Goals Club to shed light on how palm trees could help achieve the Sustainable Developmental Goals strategy of the United Nations. Palmyra trees possess qualities that foster biodiversity and have positive environmental outcomes, like a reduction of pollution and landslides, protection against storms and conservation of water.
Many student volunteers, like Supriya Dewanjee, actively arranged and led student teams. Saplings of palm trees were difficult to develop. Supriya brainstormed the idea of collecting large numbers of seeds from rotten palms, an idea which not only saved money but also salvaged seeds that would have otherwise gone to waste. Dr. Kabir stated that one of the greatest challenges faced throughout the process was to collect the seeds of Palmyra before the end of the palm-growing season. However, the manager of Confidence-Salt, Mr. Nawshad Imtiaz, had donated many of the seeds for AUW’s cause, that made collection of the remaining seeds significantly easier. Seeds were collected from different regions of Bangladesh like Jessore and Natore.
And so, a team of 70 students and several faculty members spread across the AUW campus on October 5th, 2019 to begin planting 4000 seeds, with Nirmala Rao kicking off the event by planting the first palm seed. Problems also arose while carrying out the project as most of the participants were not aware of the intensity of the physical labor that they had to perform. Consequently, the participants became flagged and the goal of planting 4000 seeds was only partially completed. Despite the many other challenges posed by the extremely hot weather and the awkward, risky slopes, the event ended successfully, with a promise of further plantation programs within the premise.
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| Vice Chancellor Nirmala Rao inaugurating the palmyra palm plantation, with AUW faculty and staff (picture from Dr. Selvakumar’s collection) |
Dr. Kabir expressed desires to further beautify the campus site by having a botanical garden with a water system that can be utilized for fish-farming without interruption of the ecosystem there. However, there will be impediments in terms of integrating the architecture of the campus site with a more environmentally-friendly plan, he acknowledged.
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| AUW students during plantation day (picture from Dr. Selvakumar’s collection) |
This is not the first time that AUW has worked for a green cause. On the 27th of September 2019, students of AUW marched on the Sholoshohor Railway station, drawing attention by holding protest signs like “Hot guys might be attractive but a hot planet is not”. A joint collaboration with AUW Sustainable Development Goals Club, AUW Waste Management Club and Brighters Society of Bangladesh (BSB), their initiative was a part of the Global Climate Strike and reverberation of the wails of the anger of the Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg and her movement called “Fridays for Future.”
The developing Bangladesh is already grappling with developmental issues like poverty and inequality. Must it also lose sleep over mitigation of emissions, even when it stands so low at the global ranking of a carbon footprint per capita? The simple answer is: it doesn’t have to. The inherent flaw in forming such a narrative lies in isolating such developmental issues from climate change. A lot of developmental issues are intertwined with the impacts of climate change. Solutions as simple as Palmyra plantation not only contribute to the world’s carbon sink, but also give rise to monetary benefits- each full-grown palm tree is worth over $300. Considering how neighboring areas, like Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, recognized the advantages of Palmyra plantations and have instituted their own Palmyra Development Board, it is about time Bangladesh starts its own, even if it is only to fight the growing cases of deaths caused by lightning.
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