Ancolie Stoll is responsible for one such space called Nilatangam, a 7.5-hectare reforestation project started by her European parents when Auroville was first established.
Nilatangam has tall trees from different parts of the world but few native species. It is not as dense and complex as the forest of the sacred forest. Instead, the trees are lined up like crops in a field, with walking paths and plenty of room for the plants to reseed naturally.
Stoll, who works with Blanchflower and Baldwin at the Arboretum, says that at Nilatangam she has recently planted more native species that are tropical arid evergreen types. Between the canopies of exotic trees from her parents’ day, she points out where she planted the sapling.
Over time, she explains, she will plant more when new species become available. The process is slow, but she hopes to have a proper tropical dry evergreen forest within a few years.
Tropical dry evergreen trees dominate the 20-hectare Pitchandikulam Forest and Bioresource Center and the similarly sized Auroville Arboretum. Baldwin, Blanchflower and their Arboretum team are working to map the range and variety of native species in Auroville.
Education is the main goal of the Arboretum, and this is where Sathyamurthy plays an important role. During field trips to forests and sacred groves in Auroville, he teaches students about the ecological importance and cultural heritage of forests.
When Sathyamurthy took me through Keezhputhupattu after the heavy monsoon rains of November 2021, I learned what the students might be going through. The smell of damp earth mixed with incense and jasmine garlands as we passed shrines and florists. In the forest, we walked through ankle-deep, doughy red soil; all around us stood sturdy trees two or three stories high. Sathyamurthy continued with poise, leaving footprints on his rubber sandals.
He would stop occasionally to tell me about the medicinal or cultural uses of some plants in Tamil with a little English. He shares their scientific names and Tamil equivalents in quick succession.an ironwood tree called they propose In Tamil, has special medicinal value. Women crush the leaves with rice and eat the mixture as an immune booster for postpartum recovery, he said.tropical ebony, known as Karangali, used to make musical instruments and agricultural instruments. Its highly sought-after branches are hung over doorways to ward off evil energies. We stop often – it seems Sathyamurthy has a story for every plant and he hopes his passion will inspire the students he takes to the forest.
Sathyamurthy thought the students would give the sacred grove a chance in their villages. He believes such visits help build relationships between trees and students. Students leave the field trip with seeds, saplings and tips on how to grow native trees on public land in their villages.
Educating the next generation about the value of these forests may be key to their survival because despite their temples and importance to religious communities, sacred groves are not immune to the threat of urbanization, including exploitation for biomedical and cultural uses .
Keezhputhupattu, for example, hosts hundreds of thousands of devotees each year, and villagers find it difficult to control how outsiders interact with the forest. Tourists and herders also trespass.
Outside the grove, Sathyamurthy saw three young men pulling a tree. They managed to control a large branch. After a protracted tug of war, they tore a branch from the tree. The leaves fell with a loud, weary rustling. The men gleefully haul away their loot, presumably for medical or cultural purposes.
Shaking his head disapprovingly, Sathyamurthy said there was an urgent need to address the threat to the woods. Later, he told me, losing the sacred grove felt like an assault on his community’s way of life.
That’s why seed collections, nurseries, tree planting campaigns, and awareness of tropical dry evergreen forests are critical. If everything is extracted, the forest has no chance to regrow and “build a bank balance,” Blanchflower notes. Restoring natural forests “puts energy back into the bank”.
