Living Landmarks of Chennai, a book on trees with historical and cultural significance in the city was released on Wednesday.
Compiled by Nizhal, a trust to promote tree conservation in urban areas, it was released by Madras Book Club and Kalamkriya Limited publishers. Shobha Menon, one of the founders of Nizhal, said: “Ever since we started tree walks, our volunteers would come back with a concern that there are many mature trees that have not been identified and are under threat. The lack of a tree protection act puts these trees at further risk. So we started collating an indicative list of the different trees in the city and this has now been published as the book.”
Shanta Sheela Nair, Vice chairman, State Planning Commission, who was the chief guest, said she was fascinated by the stories in the book. She said: “The Aala Maram (Banyan Tree) in the Theosophical Society, or the Purasai tree after which Parasawalkam gets its name intrigued me. As part of the planning commission I look forward to working meaningfully with Nizhal in proliferating green cover in urban areas.”
Ms. Menon appealed to sponsors to to put up writing boards of trees with a line on its significance.
Historian S. Muthiah received the first copy of the book. D. Narasimhan, Botany Professor, Madras Christian College and V. Ramnarayan, writer also took part.
