The Tree That Remembered

In the middle of a bustling city square, stood a Banyan tree — over 250 years old. Every afternoon, 13-year-old Nupur sat on its bench, sketching the world around her. One day, she noticed something strange: her drawings showed the same people, but in old-timey clothes, black-and-white bikes, and handwritten letters instead of phones.

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Were her hands drawing memories?

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She flipped back in her sketchbook. The people she drew weren’t random. They matched photos in the local heritage museum — people from decades ago. Was the tree… remembering?

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She tested it. She touched the bark and closed her eyes. She saw flashes: a freedom rally, a wedding, a kite festival. She began recording these visions into stories.

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When she told her history teacher, he laughed. But when the museum verified one of her sketches — a long-lost protest banner that exactly matched a historical description — they took notice.

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Fact check: Banyan trees are known to live for centuries and have served as meeting spots, market centres, and even resistance planning locations in colonial India. The Great Banyan Tree in Kolkata is over 250 years old and covers 3.5 acres.

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Nupur’s tree was declared a heritage tree. Her sketchbook became a local exhibition.

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Sometimes, stories don’t need gadgets. They need stillness, and an open mind. Because even trees remember — if someone listens.