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To determine when the Acacia farnesiana or the kikar tree arrived in India can entail a labyrinthine search. The kikar has been the quintessence of our landscape in Punjab, Haryana and Ranthambore. But alas! It is diminishing.
JR Vaid, a farmer who has been farming his land for decades, is located in Haryana's Ambala District. He explains the difference between the imported kikar and the desi kikar is that the imported variety was grafted with an Indian tree of the Albizia group. The Albizia group consists of 118 species. Many species of the Albizia are native to the tropics. Like the kikar, the Albizia is in the family of mimosaceae. That explains thorns present in the kikar. Bipinnate leaves like the Albizia are similarly found in the kikar. Like the Albizia, the desi kikar is fast growing. Unfortunately, neither variety of the kikar is surviving the onslaught of the recently introduced poplar (populus deltoides) or the eucalyptus. However, we must not undermine the kikar. To understand the present and the future let us understand the past. If we become aware of the history of the kikar's origins, we will fully comprehend the kikar's qualities. We will realise the folly of being witness to a tree's exit. We are confronted with an oft-repeated question. How did the kikar arrive in India? Prof. TK Bose, state agricultural university, Mohanpur, West Bengal, has traced the origin of the Acacia farnesiana (kikar) to America. It was naturalised in Asia, Africa and Australia. It is grown in the south of France for extraction of essential oil. Evidence suggests that the kikar was brought into India by early British traders. Further evidence has recorded that in 1877 two hundred acres was planted with kikar at Aravill, in the suburbs of Gurgaon. Thus began the odyssey of the Indian kikar. Though the British East India Company was dissolved in 1874, some members of the erstwhile company would have continued trade. This would have included importing varieties of plants they thought necessary. In my research, I found
references to the acacia tree as early as the first century BC. It was
named by the botanist and physician Pedanius Dioscorides (90 - 40 BC).
His book Materia-medica referred to the acacia as a medicinal
plant. The name acacia is derived The pods of the kikar contain 23 per cent tannin. The bole of the tree yields gum. If diluted, the gum can be used as a gargle to relieve a sore throat. Properties from pods and leaves control infections. Apart from medicinal properties, there is potential to use the kikar's extract to spray farmlands against pests and disease. Research can create new formulations to protect our farmlands. It will also be of great value to the pharmaceutical world. Ayurvedic medication is an important source of alternate medicine the world over. Reverence for trees is integral to our cultural heritage. Lord Buddha used the word "benevolence" to extol the invaluable benefits derived from trees. That was 2,000 years ago. The Bhagavadita refers to a Banyan tree in the line, "It is said that there is an imperishable Banyan tree`85". Acacias are known for their characteristic umbrella-shaped canopy. The metaphorical umbrella can continue giving us shade when planted as an avenue tree. The tree’s medicinal properties can offer protection to us and will save our food from pests. We must heed our culture's reverence for trees of all kinds. This means preventing the extinction of the kikar tree. In this endeavour the forest department, our farmers and regional research laboratories must unite. The title of this narrative is from Shakespeare's As You Like It. A play with a happy ending. Will the kikar's story end as happily?
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