At Vidyasagar Colony, one of the quieter places of Kolkata, stands a tree in a secluded lane. It is a tamarind tree that was nurtured by freedom fighter Parul Mukhopadhyay.
At the age of 20, in 1935, she was convicted in the Titagarh conspiracy case and spent four years in jail. After Independence, while guarding her locality against feudal land grabbers post- Partition, Mukhopadhyay made sure ecological lessons were also instilled in the community. A single woman, who could wield pistols, also made sure her surrounding nature — trees, ponds and birds — was safe.
Freedom fighter Parul Mukhopadhyay
Debalina Majumder, filmmaker and photographer, documented this tamarind tree for 12 years. Not because she had a particular reason, but just because there was this ecosystem right outside her window.
The tamarind tree is home to birds like parakeets, Indian Mayna, Common Kingfisher, and woodpeckers, among many others.
The people behind the movement to save the tree
The threat of cutting this tree down became real when Mukhopadhyay’s land was sold to a local builder in 2024. First went the mango tree, and then others, but the vigilance of the community put a stop from the axe falling on the tamarind tree.
Debalina and her friends Samata Biswas, professor of English at Sanskrit University, Shubam Roy Chowdhury, filmmaker, Barnali Das, a mathematics teacher, Madhucchanda Bhattacharya, Mrinal Kant Das, Rafina Khatun, Nasima Selim, and others created the movement to save the tree, and its ecosystem.
Residents of the tamarind tree
“I wrote an email on December 30 to the chief conservator of forests, who sent a ranger to inspect the tree the next day. The ranger called the promoter and was assured that the historic tree would not be cut and that an altar for freedom fighters would be constructed around it,” said Debalina.
Debalina made a 30-minute documentary, Friends of Jilipibala. The documentary showing the journey of the tree, and its eventual threat of death was featured at the Kolkata International Film Festival in 2025. The documentary, along with the campaign by the team, helped in gathering over 4,000 signatures in support of saving the tree.
The poster of ‘Friends of Jilipibala’
“We have tried our best. We still don’t know if the tree will have a healthy life. We have been assured by the forest department and government authorities, but there are so many ways to kill a tree. We really hope the tree is saved. The documentary is getting a lot of responses from colleges and universities for screening. We hope the kids can protect our ecology with more vigour,” said Madhucchanda Bhattacharya, one of the voices of the movement.
“When we came to know that the land had been sold for redevelopment, and the jamrul tree, and the mango tree had been cut down, that is when Debalina let us know what’s happening. So, we started singing songs under the tree. We decided we should bring sharper focus on the tree, and involve more people,” said Samata Biswas.
Arko Mukhaerjee performing at the concert
There were two concerts, one in December 2024, and another in March 2025 at the spot. Both saw a lot of audience participation, all of it focussed on the tree. Artistes like Debdeep Mukherjee, Arko Mukherjea, Mousumi Bhowmik, and others, participated in the concerts.
When My Kolkata visited the 70-year-old tree recently, there were brick piles beside the tree, with heavy machinery working in the background for redevelopment. A small cultural movement has saved the tree from slaughter. The tree is alive, and so is its thriving ecosystem.