people-unite-to-save-a-150-year-old-tree-in-andhra-village

It’s a sprawling tree on the banks of the river Godavari. Any South Indian movie buff can easily identify this 150-year-old tree because it has featured in more than 300 South Indian films and a few Bollywood films as well.

However, the recent floods that ravaged parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh struck a blow to this tree in Kumaradevam village of East Godavari district.

A bunch of nature lovers, local villagers and the officials of the East Godavari district administration have joined hands and taken up the task of reviving the uprooted tree.

The tree, locally called Nidra Ganneru chettu (botanical name: Samanea saman), has immense cultural and historical significance and is popularly called “cinema tree” or “movie tree” as it is the favourite location for film shooting.

Last week, this tree developed a huge crack in its trunk and got uprooted due to heavy rains and floods. “The tree had withstood bigger floods in 1953, 1986, and 2022, and also the super cyclone of 1996 in the area. This time, it just collapsed,” local resident K Sailendra said.

District administration officials, including collector P Prashanti and joint collector Himanshu Koushik, visited the area and inspected the tree. “We were told the tree can be brought back to life. So we decided to take up the restoration process with the help of the Rotary Club of Rajamahendravaram,” Prashanti said.

Prashanti also promised to develop the entire area as a tourist spot. “The people of Rajahmundry have a sentimental attachment to this tree as it is a perfect shooting spot for the films. We will restore it to its past glory,” Prashanti said.

The representatives of Rotary Club began the revival process of the tree by formally performing a ritual in the presence of the joint collector.

“We are planning to give it a chemical treatment, along with careful reassembling of the broken tree. It will take 45 to 60 days. A four-month timeline for recovery after the treatment is required,” Rotary Club president Venkat Immanni said.

He further said that a lot of support from the local community, who can contribute in whatever manner possible, is required to complete the project. “This will not only ensure the restoration of the Cinema Tree but also transform the site into a place of tourism and cultural importance,” Koushik said.

Kumaradevam gram panchayat vice president G Ramakrishna suggested that the state government should rope in the forest department and plantation experts in the restoration process.

Many renowned and award-winning filmmakers such as K Vishwanath, Bapu, K Raghavendra Rao and Kodandarami Reddy shot their films near this tree.

“Any film that was shot on the banks of Godavari river would have a scene under this tree because it used to present a picturesque frame of the river in its backdrop. I cannot imagine shooting a film on Godavari without this magnificent tree,” said popular Telugu film director Vamsi Nallamalli, who also hails from East Godavari district and has several hits to his credit.