In India, in the state of Chhattisgarh, a heartbreaking scene has moved millions of people. An 85-year-old woman, named Deola Bai, collapsed on the ground in tears in front of the cut trunk of a pagoda fig tree that she had planted twenty years earlier. For her, that tree was not just a plant, but a life partner: she had cared for it every day, watered it and venerated it as a sacred being.
An illegal cut that wounds the soul
The tree, considered a symbol of spirituality and protection in Indian tradition, was cut down without authorization in early October. According to residents of Sara Gondi village, two men decided to cut it to level land near their property. When the woman saw the severed trunk, she knelt on the ground, crying desperately and hugging the remaining roots, as if trying to save the last breath of what she had loved for twenty years.
This is such heart-wrenching scene!
๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ- ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง
I’m told this occurred in the State of Chhattisgarh. #EkPedMaaKeNaam pic.twitter.com/7UeuSSmKArโ Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) October 11, 2025
The indignation of the village and the intervention of the police
The news sparked a wave of indignation across the country, after the video of the scene was released by local media and even shared by minister Kiren Rijiju. The villagers approached the Khairagarh police, demanding justice for the act committed. An investigation was then opened and case no. was registered. 464/2025, on charges of offending religious feelings and damaging public property.
During interrogations, the two men allegedly confessed to having cut the tree for economic reasons, then attempted to eliminate the evidence by throwing the cutting machine into a river. Both were arrested and placed in judicial custody.
A new beginning for the community
For residents, the tree represented not just a memory, but a collective connection to nature and faith. After the incident, the village decided to plant a new pagoda fig tree in the same spot, with Deola Bai among the first to pray in front of the new plant. A simple but profound gesture, a symbol of rebirth and respect for life. Deola Bai’s reaction reminds us that, in an increasingly distracted world, spiritual connection with nature can still move and unite entire communities.
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