The year was 1982 and it was after school hours on our way home when my cousin Johnson and I took a detour to a house called Manackal at Thycatusserry village. There, Kerala Social Forestry department was distributing saplings for all who were interested. Saplings of Perumaram, Gulmohar, Manimaruthu, Mahogany, Nelli, Mango and a variety of other plants were distributed freely. We were late and therefore we could grab only a few remaining saplings. I got some Perumarams and Johnson a Manimaruthu. We both did not like what we got as Johnson wanted a tree for wood and me a flowering one. So we decided to exchange them and did so happily. That Manimaruthu today is 35 years old. Over the years, she had grown into a full tree, bloomed and painted the sky in violets, dropped flowers, shed leaves and withstood all seasons. The other day, as I watched the tree standing tall in our front-yard glistening with fresh beautiful leaves, all memories visited me again. They were fresh and beautiful too!
