Beri bloom: Bhagat Singh’s heritage lives on at museum of trees in Hallo Majra

Not many people are aware of the fact that 10-year-old Bhagat Singh had planted a Beri (tree) in 1917 at his birthplace Bangay village, Jaranwala tehsil, at present in Pakistan. This tree is over 100 years old. It was successfully cloned at the Museum of Trees in Chandigarh in 2020. One can visit and see the four-year-old tree along with other species at the museum spread over five acres in Hallo Majra here.

Cuttings of the historic tree were obtained by creator and curator of the Museum of Trees, former IAS officer Damanbir Singh Jaspal, on January 25, 2020, during a personal visit to Bangay village.

“Since Bhagat Singh’s home has been designated as a heritage site with restricted access, the visit was made possible by the intervention of Pakistan Prime Minister’s office after my two-year effort,” said Jaspal.

“Young Bhagat Singh planted a Beri tree in defiance of the laws introduced by the British, according to which farmers were reduced to mere sharecroppers. They were not allowed to cut trees on their own land. Nor were they supposed to build houses there or sell their land,” he said.

Jaspal has documented sacred trees of Sikhism in his book “Tryst with Trees: Punjab’s Sacred Heritage”. He created the Museum of Trees in 2010 as a grove for preserving and propagating the surviving sacred trees by reproducing true genotypes of parent trees. Apart from genetic replicas of 12 sacred trees, the museum has over 150 other species, of which many are rare and endangered.

Saqib Virk, who is now the owner of the ancestral house of Bhagat Singh, said, “We have been told by our ancestors that Bhagat Singh used to spend time beneath the beri tree and read at times. I have always made efforts to preserve this heritage and will continue to do so. Many people, especially from India, like to visit Sardar Bhagat Singh’s house and we make sure to extend our hospitality to them,” Virk said during a conversation with The Tribune.

12 replicas of sacred trees

Among 12 genetically true replicas of sacred trees at the Museum of Trees are the Dukh Bhanjani Beri of the Golden Temple, Amritsar; the Beri tree of Gurdwara Ber Sahib, Sultanpur Lodi; the Beri tree of Gurdwara Ber Sahib, Sialkot, Pakistan; and the Peepal tree of Gurdwara Pipli Sahib, Amritsar. The project, the first of its kind in the world, has been funded by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It is promoted by the Chandigarh Nature and Health Society, a registered NGO.