In rural life of Bangladesh, banyan trees sometimes become symbols of culture, heritage, and social bonding

In rural life of Bangladesh, banyan trees sometimes become symbols of culture, heritage, and social bonding. Markets, rural fairs, religious festivals, and even village arbitration and trials were held under banyan trees for ages. Standing beside the field, the banyan was the only shade and shelter for the farmer in his tired afternoon. One such centurys-old banyan tree—nearly 200 years old, stood as a witness to time in Alam Mirer Kandi area of Shirkanda Union in Madaripur Sadar Upazila.

At the base of the tree, a history of human belief, love, and emotion had been built over centuries. Some sought shelter in its cool shade for childbearing, some for recovery from illness, and others on lonely afternoons. But today, with the argument of religious opposition to 'shirk', local devotees and ulema-mashayekh including Hafez Maulana Omar Faruk, treasurer of Ulema Parishad Madaripur, have cut down the tree together. The allegation was, "People used to make vows there and light candles, which is shirk in the eyes of Islam."

However, questions are being raised that if a tree, which is the center of human emotion, culture, and ecological balance, becomes a place of 'disbelief', is the tree to blame? Is the only solution to cut down the tree?