Tree Tales #1

There were four teak trees in an apartment I stayed in planted when construction first began. They adorned the three gates and the parking area. One offered shade to the security guard, another sheltered the parked cars, and the remaining two stood mostly unnoticed, near gates used only by larger vehicles.

In such a setting, it was inevitable that we met every day. I always encountered the leaves first. Without fail, at least one leaf would lie across the pathway each morning. Their colours ranged from a rich, deep green to a beautiful mustard yellow, and sometimes a mix of green, yellow, and brown. These were large leaves, larger than those of lilies, roses, mangoes, or even coconut trees. They stood out.

Teak isn't something we typically associate with urban planting. And yet, if you walk through Cochin today and look up, you'll spot them everywhere. They're easy to miss, until they're in bloom. Then, they’re unmistakable: trees crowned with a cobweb-like off-white canopy. You’ll notice them beside bridges, in vacant plots near metro stations, at traffic signals. they’re present, always.

What's a tree that blooms during the monsoon months of June to August in Kerala? Tectona grandis

Have you seen the teak flowers? They are tiny, white - off white -cream.

When the tree is in bloom - it looks like it is covered in little golden cobwebs from afar. 

What do you associate with the teak tree? Teak wood, perhaps - furniture & polished surfaces. That’s its most commercial identity. But like how we know apples and oranges without ever seeing their flowers, we often overlook the living tree itself - its leaves, blooms, colours in our daily lives.