Guwahati: Amid chants of Vedic mantras and the fresh scent of earth, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma planted a Bakul tree (Mimusops elengi) at the Avarta Building premises in Baksa district on Saturday. This marked the symbolic beginning of a renewed statewide environmental campaign.
Sharing a 29-second video on his Facebook page, the Chief Minister wrote, “Planting a Bakul sapling with the goal of a green Assam, Avarta building premises, Baksa.”
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The Bakul tree, also called Spanish Cherry, holds deep cultural and ecological importance in Assam. Native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is known for its fragrant white flowers and medicinal qualities and has a special place in Assamese ecology and Hindu tradition.
According to Hindu scriptures, the Bakul tree is sacred and believed to be the place where Lord Krishna played his flute. Its flowers are often offered to deities like Vishnu and Shiva. The tree’s association with purity and peace makes it common in temples and holy groves throughout Assam.
The tree’s sweet-smelling flowers that bloom in the evening symbolize nature’s calming power, which is a fitting metaphor for Assam’s urgent need to restore its forests.
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Assam faces serious challenges due to rapid deforestation, especially in districts like Baksa, Sonitpur, and Udalguri. The Forest Survey of India’s 2023 report shows that Assam lost over 2,000 square kilometers of tree cover between 2000 and 2022 due to illegal logging, shifting cultivation, infrastructure development, and encroachment.
This loss has increased human-elephant conflicts, particularly near the Indo-Bhutan border in Baksa, where over 125 people and 72 elephants have died between 2020 and 2024.
The choice of the Bakul tree is deliberate. It symbolizes reconnecting with nature through cultural roots. Additionally, Bakul is a ‘conflict-free’ species as elephants do not typically feed on it, making it suitable for planting near human settlements.
This tree planting event in Baksa is part of Assam’s Amrit Brikshya Andolan, launched in 2023, which aims to plant over one crore indigenous trees by 2026. Now in its third phase, the campaign encourages community participation, from schoolchildren and village leaders to forest guards and temple committees.
This year, over 1.5 lakh Bakul saplings will be planted across Assam, with saplings already distributed in Baksa.
Botanist Nayan Jyoti Deka from Tinsukia said, “We need to rewild not just our forests but also our cultural memory. Planting Bakul is a small but powerful step toward ecological balance.”
For local residents, this is more than a government program. It is a return to sacred ecology. Seventy-year-old Renu Devi from Barama recalled, “My grandmother used to make garlands from Bakul flowers for Lord Krishna during Janmashtami. Today, I am happy to see the same tree being planted for our grandchildren.”
Children at the event held placards reading “Grow Trees Save Future” and “Bakul is Beautiful.” A school eco-club pledged to adopt 100 trees and monitor their growth for the next two years.
As the Chief Minister placed the final layer of soil over the sapling, the act was more than a ceremony. It was a call to reconnect with Assam’s roots, both literal and spiritual.
The Bakul tree, serene, sacred, and fragrant, now stands as a symbol of Assam’s green revival, linking ancient tradition with modern environmental action. It shows that sometimes the solutions to today’s challenges quietly bloom from the wisdom of the past.