CHENNAI: As one enters the place, it feels like a whole new world cut away from the maddening crowd just outside its boundaries. One can see and smell miles of greenery stretching ahead, with meandering paths beckoning to march forward and be a part of it. Welcome to the Adyar Estate, which houses the headquarters of the Theosophical Society, a carefully nurtured and preserved grove that would thrill any botanist and intrigue any onlooker.This 250 acres of veritable green, with the Adyar River estuary on one side, is home to over 100 different indigenous species of trees, shrubs and herbs and some rare, exotic species of trees from different parts of the world. It is also home to about 46 species of birds. Not to mention the exquisite creation - The Great Banyan Tree - which has stood its ground for 450 years covering an area of 4,670 square metres.Krishnan, the superindent of the garden department of the Theosophical Society, said, “What is interesting about the vegetation in Adyar is that for better conservation, we classify the greenery into three kinds - first the forest, second the orchard and third the cultivated garden.” Though the forest is completely indigenous in nature, it also has some very exotic foreign species gifted by the members of the Theosophical Society, which they hold close to their hearts. When one walks towards the Great Banyan Tree, one cannot miss the majestic Nipa palm, which grows straight out of fresh water, a sight to behold.The moment one sets eyes on this Baobab tree, a native of South Africa, the first thought that would cross one’s mind is, ‘Was this from a pixie forest in the fairy tales?’ This tree ,with its humungous girth in its trunk, will make anyone want to run to it and put their arms around it to check it out. Krishnan said, “This Baobab tree is about 85 years old and I guess the girth was supposedly meant to hold water to stave off the African drought.”Several other exotic species, like copper pot and pettaphrum africanum dot the campus. At the Adyar Estate, they go completely the organic way. Krishnan, who is with the garden department for almost a decade, said, “Now, we are focused on developing the forest area as a complete tropical green dry evergreen forest. This year, we have planted 500 saplings of 46 different species that are indigenous to the forest ecosystem,” he said. “I believe trees talk and it is important to group trees belonging to the indigenous ecosystem together so that the birds that live in these trees come there to feed and nest and also disburse the seeds better. This is the law of nature and we should give trees its familiar ecosystem to thrive together,” added Krishnan.They also have an orchard from where the fruits are plucked only when the yield is surplus. When the yield is low, the fruits are left for the birds. “The palm civets are the first ones to check out our coconuts. We just take what is left behind,” added Krishnan with a smile. This green oasis in the middle of the city also has many species of animals, like Jungle hawk owls, large fruit eating bats, wild hares, mangoose and jackals, which roam around freely on the campus, unperturbed by the civilisation around.
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