The Old Banyan Tree

The old Banyan Tree

In my village

Fell with a thundering noise.

People ran helter-shelter

many made a profit

And to many it saved

a month’s fuel

that was all.

The greatest Banyan tree

Of the country

The Mahatma

fell or rather was felled

it was 1948

that was not at all.

Till date

 his burnt-up limbs

are used and reused as fuel

 in all our politician’s career

to keep alive their cooking flame

A proverb comes here :

“Dead or alive

An elephant is worth

A thousand gold sovereigns.”