Saplings planted on the Mysore University grounds are coming up well.ButI don't suppose de-weeding parthenium is seen as part of mass-planting operation undertaken by the forest dept. The university authorities haven't paid attention to the spread of parthenium.
Where we don't want a plant to be growing. On window top of a heritage building on Sitavilas Rd.
Mrs Manjunath was our obvious choice for doing the honours with the first sapling we planted at the temple doorstep this morning. She has offered to take care of the sapling till it takea roots. 
This is the sapling Mrs Manjunath planted. There are no more than a couple of other trees on the entire stretch of this road. The layout comes under gram panchayat, say its residents by way of explanation for conspicuous lack of even basic infrastructure such as proper road, sewage line and a prescribed pavement space. No open space for public park has been demarcated. As a old-time resident put it, every bit of land has been parceled and sold as plots.
In contrast to the poor infrastructure, fancy buildings have come up in the area. And fresh construction is still in evidence in many parts of the layout. Folks who lavish their wealth on house construction pay little attention to their surroundings. A few residents we met in the colony spoke of panchayat politics and lack of collective will among residents to get anything done to improve the locality. Getting such people together for a community initiative such as tree-planting remains a challenge.
As of now,we are focused on planting within the confines of the temple land. And response from the temple trustees has been positive. This may well be because a prime-mover in the current planting in the area, Mr K N Sreenivas, is a trustee himself. We asked the temple priest Suryanarayana Jois to plant the second sapling. He did it with appropriate rituals, chanting slokas. He also agreed to put in a word to regular temple visitors about the sanctity of watering the plants around the temple. 
Immediate needs of water for this freshly planted sapling was met by Mr Manjunath who used his influence in the neighbourhood to bring a hose from a construction site.
Kavitha who works in our apartments block isn't particularly green conscious, but she is responsive to sensible ideas. Kavitha planted a pomegranate to mark her wedding anniversary over two years ago. That was when my wife and I had planted a couple of saplings in a public park to mark the day our grandson Siddarth started going to nursery school in San Ramon, California.
These trees on Chamaraja Double Rd. appear to have had deformed growth. 
This one has been punished by real estate developer for coming in the way of 'development'.
This is a snag with banyan on roadside. Its drop-roots stretch into the street.
A fully grown tree that is past its prime.
The coolest walk in my neighbourhood is on the Maharaja's campus. The road to the college from JLB Rd. is one stretch of shade even at noon.
The wooded space next to the vice-chancellor's residence has gone green in last week's showers.
A massive tree on the campus.
And the neem that is worshiped by residents on the college campus.
Tree-lined road in front VC's residence.
I get a feeling that Mr Gurukar can communicate with trees. I didn't find him at the usual kerbside on MUDA Circle this morning. Instead, he was at work across the road, tending to a couple of saplings planted over a year ago by the forest dept. Several saplings planted along this road in front of Ramyas and the Cosmo Club, right up to the University oval grounds, have perished for want of care. 
The surviving few needed proper earthwork to hold water when it rains. Mr Gurukar had done with this plant near MUDA office when I caught up with him to talk about his bicycle.I wanted to get an idea of the carrier that can be fixed on his bicycle. I suggested a rectangular cargo hold at the back,something light,preferably made of cane. 
Mr Gurukar was not enthusiastic- "I don't need anything,sir". But we do, I pressed on,explaining to him that a cane-carrier on his bicycle,painted green with a message from Friends of Roadside TreesFORT),would help us spread the word. His point was that it would be tougher for him to load water pots on to a carrier. He feels comfortable with the way they are now placed in his bike. 
He had a point.As Mr Gurukar put it,he wasn't getting any younger- he is 68,looks five years younger. How about a cane basket up front? A smaller,detachable box hooked to the handle bar? Mr Gurukar gave a non-committal smile.
These trees that have taken decades to grow this much need better care.Couldn't the authorities have widened this patch in front of Karanji Lake a foot or two less than rest of the road ? This would have spared the roots from being so hacked and exposed.
This one is a freshly planted banyan close to JLB Rd. traffic lights in MUDA Circle. Virshamitra Gurukar, who has been at work on this roadside patch for the past one week usually plants honge. Cattle don't fancy the plant. A fully grown honge provides good shade. Emits with oxygen anti-tuberculosis substance in the air, according to Mr Gurukar.
Honge doesn't need a thorny tree-guard. Other saplings such as banyan do, to protected them from ravage by passing cattle. Mr Gurukar went for banyan, presumably, on advice from a passer-by. His point was no one (other than cattle) vandalises a banyan because of religious sentiments.
This banyan on T Narsipur Rd. is worshiped by villagers. Auspicious day in the week is Monday, when people from nearby villages flock to this banyan to do puja .
Authorities gave credible reasons - rail bridge and under-pass widening - for turning these roadside trees into timber - 25 of them. But have they said anything about compensatory planting ? Green groups and NGOs have a legitimate case to press the railway authorities to plant two or more trees for every one felled on K R S Road, Mysore.
There appears a caste system even among trees. Peepal, neem , jackfruits and a few other species, are, presumably, the brahmins among trees. Far from felling, people worship them.
A massive tree on Naryana Shastri Rd. close to Marimallappa College crossing was found badly battered and broken on Sunday. Its sturdy stem has cracked up, with the branches falling down under their own weight.
Roadside trees serve the purpose of billboard for advertisers who do not do anything in return. If only these advertisers were to plant trees on occasions, they could generate more roadside ad. space in future.
Mr K T Srikantegowda, MLC, has used his public position and stature to influence people and officials to join him in a mission to plant trees in his area. He is reported to have planted 22,000 saplings during the last five years.
We have been here before. A recent meeting with Vinay of Royal Mysore Walks threw up some ideas on getting the grand old Mysore banyan on tourist map. It is now on Facebook - Mysore Banyans
Looking at this tangle, can you figure out a way to count them. Your guess is as good as mine.What matters is the legend,the story we build up on the banyan.Do we have one?
An earlier post in FORT-Mysore blog evoked a comment from a long-time resident and senior journalist Gouri Satya. He recalled his schooldays spent under the Baden Powell banyan - "the ideal spot for us, scouts of the Ramblers' Scout Group to learn roping and earn a badge". His school, named after the founder of the Scouts & Guides movement, houses its district headquarters.
Mr Satya suggested the schoolyard banyan be named after Baden Powell. He noted that Jayachamaraja Wadiyar was a boy scout, and had gifted the land on which the school and the scouts & guides office building has come up.Camps,jamboree and training of the boys and girls for the Vijaya Dasami procession have been held for generations on this banyan grounds. Mr Satya recalled an occasion when they had a group of boy scouts abroad camping under the banyan.
Another old student, now a company executive, Shankar Prasad associates the grand old banyan with his schooldays cricket and training for NCC parades. We could put together banyan reminiscences of the likes of Satya and Prasad in their school alumni.
1) Get the municipal authorities to put up a green signpost - Baden Powell Banyan - on Hunsur Rd and JLB Road. And at Kukkrahalli gate close to Nanjangud rail-track.
