15/09/2024
The Deo Bagh Nature Series.
Part 6.
The heat melts, wilts, dehydrates, dampens the spirit but the date palms on our campus stand tall and bear fruit. In the olden days, land was demarcated by wells, buildings and other such natural features - our village of Bahodapur was full of date palms and wells as it was a water catchment area. Hence the method of irrigation was much like the falaj system in the Gulf region. This feature together with the swaying palms once described the land where we live today. However, today this description only matches the Deo Bagh area, which continues to maintain the same flora since our family’s arrival in Gwalior over 2 centuries ago!
Sadly, almost all these ancient features have now vanished in the surrounding areas - wells have been filled up and palms cut down. The old land demarcation papers with their precise lettering are far superior to the modern day xerox papers as their ink doesn’t fade, but you can’t identify the lands according to them anymore as the trees they use as landmarks have long been cut off.
The family’s handsome elephants have also gone, but their replica in stone now holds the freshly picked jamun. We are grateful for the bountiful harvest from all that surrounds us on this beautiful campus.
