00:00Beneath the chenar, I waited in vain, Where once your footsteps kissed the earth.
00:15The leaves whispered, she will return, But the wind carried only your silence.
00:22O chenar, you shade a lonely heart, A witness to love, now lost in time.
00:31The poem Under the Chenar translated from Kashmiri.
00:35It was written by one of Kashmir's most famous poets,
00:39Rasool Mir, an ode to the chenar tree penned in the 19th century.
00:47For Kashmiris, the chenar is more than just a tree.
00:51It's a cultural icon. Poet and cultural expert Gulshan Badri says
00:56the tree is part of Kashmir's heritage.
01:03In the past, when people wanted to discuss matters at the village level,
01:07they would say, let's meet under the chenar tree.
01:10The chenar was a platform, a stage, an auditorium where everyone would gather.
01:16Important discussions and decisions regarding village affairs took place beneath its branches.
01:21It was an integral part of our traditions.
01:24Writers and poets would often sit beneath its shade.
01:28Back then, the chenar tree was the only refuge from the summer heat.
01:39One of the world's largest chenar trees stands on the outskirts of Srinagar.
01:45It's over 700 years old.
01:47Very few of these oriental plane trees now reach that kind of age.
01:53In the 1970s, Kashmir had 42,000 chenar trees.
01:59Experts believe today there are less than half that number.
02:06The speed at which they're disappearing is alarming.
02:10Many chenars have been felled to make way for new roads or buildings.
02:15Others are simply chopped down for firewood.
02:20Climate change is also taking its toll on these majestic trees
02:24with periods of dry weather getting longer and hotter.
02:30Researcher Akhtar Malik from the University of Kashmir
02:33is concerned about the decline of the trees.
02:37He says they're also important for the climate in Kashmir.
02:41The chenar reduces the heat in cities during the summer,
02:45helping to regulate the temperature.
03:11The Kashmir University campus is itself home to the Naseem Bagh Garden.
03:20In the 17th century, Mughal Emperor Akbar had 1,200 chenar trees planted here.
03:26Around 500 have since been lost.
03:29The Shalimar Garden is another historic Mughal garden in Srinagar.
03:33Here, many chenar trees are in a critical condition.
03:37Now, in winter, everything is dormant.
03:41But in the spring and summer months, every tree that's missing is felled.
03:46With a height of up to 35 metres, the chenars provide a home for numerous creatures.
03:55If we talk of its role in biodiversity, particularly with respect to faunal diversity,
04:01this chenar tree provides a habitat for birds, insects.
04:06If we talk of some birds like owl species, which was very common two decades back in Kashmir.
04:14Now, it is rare because we have changed.
04:18Our entire landscape has changed because of this urbanisation, because of this habitat change.
04:26Vis-a-vis, we have reduced the cover of trees with reference to chenar tree.
04:32And it is the chenar trees that shape the appearance
04:35of numerous tourist attractions in Kashmir.
04:38The magnificent gardens and the islands of Char Chenar would be inconceivable without them.
04:44In the 17th century, a brother of the then Mughal Emperor
04:48had the island created in the middle of the Dal Lake and had chenar trees planted on it.
04:54Local boat owners bring hundreds of tourists to the island every year.
04:59And tourism is an important source of income in Kashmir.
05:02Last year alone, the region drew 3 million visitors.
05:10So, it's in Kashmir's interest to ensure that the tree population does not decline any further.
05:17Dr. Syed Tariq is a project coordinator at the Forest Research Institute in Srinagar.
05:24He and his team are currently cataloguing the trees and geotagging them.
05:35We put a QR code on it.
05:37You can scan the code with any phone and find out the details of that particular chenar.
05:42What are its attributes, how tall is it,
05:45what about the branches and what condition is the tree in.
05:53If it's been attacked by pests, any kind of infestation,
05:59that information will be included as well.
06:01So, every chenar now has its own ID.
06:06Less than a hundred kilometres from Srinagar,
06:09Abdul Ahad Khan is working hard, planting chenar trees.
06:13He ekes out a living by working day jobs in agriculture or construction.
06:18But a few years ago, he discovered his passion for Kashmir's iconic tree.
06:23He grows all the seedlings himself.
06:27In the first few years after planting,
06:29he uses organic methods to ensure they stay healthy and have enough nutrients.
06:39I've seen these trees all over Kashmir, although in small numbers.
06:43But I've never seen anyone actually planting them.
06:46And this thought fascinated me.
06:48Could this be a project?
06:49I decided I would start it myself.
06:52These are magnificent trees.
06:55Magnificent indeed.
06:57And with determined efforts,
06:59Kashmir may hope to be able to retain its cultural icon,
07:04so that these beautiful trees can once again flourish for generations to come.
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