Unstoppable Updates (25): BEAUTY lies in the STRUGGLES (Butea monosperma)

Unstoppable Updates (25): BEAUTY lies in the STRUGGLES (Butea monosperma)

It is called 'Flame of the forest.' It stands tall and glows like a fire in the forest. It blossoms profusely with bright reddish flowers that are firm in their physique, fair in their complexion, stunning in their stature, confident in their character, and seducing with their looks. It is a beauty, and you have to see it to believe it. No wonder, the scientists named it 'Butea monosperma.' If you go through any of the of forests in Deccan Plateau or travel by train in central India, you will see this marvellous tree that stands out from the rest wherever it is. Even in the hot summer, when the entire forest is dry and dull, this is one tree that blossoms. It blossoms so much and so abundantly that when you look from a distance, you would think that the forest is on fire. That is how it got its name 'flame of the forest.' It is called 'modugu chettu' in Telugu, and the flowers - the modugu poolu.

Well, the path to the glory is not so smooth for this beauty. It is a struggle all the way and that is what perhaps made it more beautiful and more enduring than many others. Let us take a look at what it goes through.......

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BEAUTY lies in the STRUGGLES (Butea monosperma)

Butea monosperma, commonly known as 'Flame of the Forest,' is a tree native to India. It grows in the wild. It is neither cultivated nor cared for, though it offers several benefits. It is used for timber, resin, fodder, medicine, dye, and many other purposes. It is virtually exploited. People cut the tree for its soft wood.  They also burn it for making charcoal. Gum is extracted from its trunk and used for medicinal, tannin, and food purposes; and the dyes extracted from the flowers are used for colouring purposes. 

People make cuts and wound the Butea mercilessly. They don't care how it hurts. They just want to satisfy their needs. They want the gum that oozes out of those wounds. 

They pluck its  leathery leaves and use them for their various needs. They don't even leave those beautiful flowers remain on the tree. They ruthlessly pluck them bunch by bunch, virtually strip the whole tree off its beauty. Poor modugu withstands all of it helplessly. But it knows, it can survive all of these atrocities. It knows that it is a struggle. And it will endure all of it, because it has a beauty to unleash and live its life in full.

No one gives a drop of water, but wants to get everything from it as if it is their right. As if it is only born to serve them! As if it is waiting for them to come and use it! Modugu is a tree that goes through the struggles of life on a daily basis. It takes the challenges head on and waits for its time. When it rains, it rejuvenates its foliage, though it knows many of those leaves will be stripped off by the selfish man. So, it produces more and more of them. It grows and gets its energy to flower. And when it flowers, it diverts all of its energy and resources only to the flowers to the extent that it does not want even the leaves come in its way of doing it. And therefore it wantonly sheds most of its own leaves at the time of flowering. At times, it becomes leaf-less. The flower buds unfurl themselves into beautiful flowers that cover the entire crown of the tree. A full-blossom Butea is a sight to look at. You can not take your eyes away from it. It is beautiful. It is Butea - the modugu chettu.

Despite the struggles it encounters on a daily basis, Butea doesn't lose its hope. It doesn't stop flowering. It flowers season after season. It flowers beauty in abundance. And, no one can stop doing it. Butea is unstoppable.

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If Butea is an exploited lot, we are to some extent an advantaged lot. Though we too face exploitation, we are endowed with several assets and intellect with which we can either stop others exploiting us or endure those exploits and continue to live on. Yes, man wants to exploit everything - everything including another man. Someone said that in this world, you have two options - either you exploit others or you get exploited. Not necessarily! Use your strengths and avoid others exploiting you. If your conditions, for some reason, don't provide you with that strength, remember that you are not alone in this world. Yes, struggles are there; challenges are there on a daily basis. Life is a struggle. Remember - like Butea, YOU too can bounce back; realise your true potential, and become UNSTOPPABLE.

After all, BEAUTY lies in the STRUGGLES.

To your SUCCESS,

With love,

Siva