A grand old banyan is the pride of Payyalur, a perennial hub of activities in the picturesque, tiny village nestling beneath the Themmala Hills in Palakkad, Kerala. Chronicling the stories that villagers associate with the banyan is one of the major aims of ‘Marangalum Naattile Kathakalum’ (Trees and the region’s stories), a project initiated by the Palakkad chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
‘Marangalum Naattile Kathakalum’ aims at identifying heritage trees in villages across Palakkad district and documenting the stories and memories that villagers associated with the trees.
Arun Narayanan, convener of the INTACH chapter says: “It is to remind people of our green heritage. In our busy, commercialised and technologically-driven spaces of the modern world, we are fast losing our links with nature and the world around us. We are trying to revive those memories and remind a younger generation of the wonderful stories that used to be woven around trees and nature.”
