In April, Bangalore witnessed a movement to save a magnificent 60 year old American Rain tree from being felled in Shankara Park (opposite Shankar Math). This movement was led by local residents of Shankarpuram to urge the Math authorities to ensure the piece of land remained a park, even if the land belonged to the Math. Yet, in clear disregard for local residents' views, the Math decided to trade this large area to to one Mr. Chennakeshava Swamy in return for land that he donated to the Sringeri Mutt in Sringeri.

Shankara Park has been a children's park for decades and constitutes the only green lung space for the residents. Ever since they got to know about a piece of land in the park being sold, the residents feared the cutting of the rain tree and started an agitation. They requested the Karnataka Forest Dept (KFD) in December 2003 not to grant permission to fell the tree. In February 2004, the Horticultural Department of Bangalore Mahanagara Palike followed up on the residents' pleas, and wrote to KFD urging that permission should not be granted to fell the tree.

Despite all these efforts, the Forest Department granted Mr. Chennakeshava Swamy permission to fell the tree as he had apparently produced documents proving his claim to the land. The question that went unanswered was that which seventy-six year old Mr. Timmarayappa, former record keeper and assessor of Bangalore City Corporation, raised:

"The entire piece of land from the present Shankarapuram Main Road to Ranga Rao Road was granted to Shankar Mutt in 1880s by Sri Chamaraja Wodeyar. The Mutt decided to make it a residential area in 1950s. So, they sought permission for the plan approval. However, the plan did not make provisions for civic amenities and hence permit was withheld. The Mutt prepared another plan, according to which the present Shankara Park was marked as a civic amenities site. The then revenue minister Kadidal Manjappa had approved the plan. But the site is slowly getting coverted into a commercial area since 1968. I had submitted an application against this to the then Deputy Commissioner of BCC, Ashok Dalawayi. The BCC said it will take action but nothing has been done about it as yet." (Source: Bangalore Vijaya Times dated 1st May, 2004. Also read New Indian Express Dated 1st May, 2004 )

Local residents were also suspicious of the nature of land transaction. Led by Col. (Retd.) S S Rajan , local residents actively resisted the felling of the tree which commenced on 21st April. When volunteers of Environment Support Group and various other groups joined in support of this protest, and approached the Math authorities to halt the felling, they were roughed up. An instance when the police joined in attacking peaceful citizens rather than coming to their aid. It was only when on protest that a complaint was lodged by the Shankarpuram Police Station.

That citizens gathering to save a tree, which in everyone's memory stood on a park (even if it was held by a Public Trust, in this case the Math), got so shabbily treated was condemned widely. The media was overwhelming in its support, and soon the tree became symbolic of the hope of Bangalore... a city that prided itself to be unique for its trees, parks and boulevards.(Read Leo Saldanha's interview on the issue)

In response to such widespread criticism, the Deputy Conservator of Forests-Bangalore Urban Division, KFD, granted a stay on felling on 23 April, following a formal request made by ESG. However, he gave ESG only two days to prove its case that the land in question was a park, which coincided with the weekend. The decision was reversed and armed thus, Mr. Swamy arrived with many men and resumed the felling on 1st May. The police acted on his behalf and questionably took Col. Rajan and his daughter into "preventive custody". ESG issued a press release condeming the tree cutting.

Efforts to get a stay from the High Court of Karnataka finally succeeded only on 1st May 2004, but much of the tree had by then been felled. The next hearing of the case is in 1st week of June.

As residents continue to fight to save this space, there is still hope that this tree may regenerate as a symbol of people's hope.