Tree Walk - Beginning

Introduction from Somewhere in the Middle of it all

I have lived in gated and ungated colonies for most of my life. In these colonies, walking was as everyday affair as water shortages were/are. Unlike water shortages though, walking did not register to me as a community activity or a mega event until I started thinking more deeply about lives lived in various places. In these colonies, conversations around water and air were arising from a space of lack, insecurity, privilege, and anxiety. We were always worried about water tankers not coming in, electricity available between particular hours, thick air smog in the mornings. But walking was never uttered as a concern which was endangered life. It was in fact uttered as a medicine - "High BP?" "Walk!'

These colonies see their usual walking everyday. There would be morning people who'd go for a walk after dropping their kids at the bus stop. Some of these walks would become a catch up activity where updates related to family, office, friends, politics would be exchanged. Many of these walks would be on a path around trees. Sometimes pavements would be involved. I began purposeful tree walks after meeting a couple of women from my colony last year. The women kindly agreed to share their knowledge with me. After that with the help of books like Trees of Delhi and Birds of our Neighbourhood, I have been learning about trees. But mostly it has been through libraries, tree walkers and walking in this city that I have come to gather some curiosities about trees.