Tree Tale - Neem and Tamarind | English
Channel: Arvind Gupta
Date: 2015-04-03

Neem or the Margosa tree is also called Azadirachta india. Azadirchta comes from the Arabic meaning AZAD DARAKHT or Independent Tree. Indica means found in India. The Neem has been used for centuries in India as a medicinal plant. Its sticks are used to brush teeth. Its oil is used for skin care. The best organic insect repellants are made from the Neem. Dried leaves of Neem are mixed with food grains for preservation. India has the largest number of Neem trees in the whole world.
 
And now for the Tamarind Tree. The Tamarind is an integral ingredient of all Indian curries – Sambhar, Rasam and Chutnies. The Tamarind’s botanical name is Tamarindus indica. The Tamarindus comes from Tameere Hind or the DATE of INDIA. Surprisingly the Tamarind is not an Indian Tree. It came to India from far away Africa in open shiploads. 
 
AND NOW FOR THE STORY:Now the Neem Tree is life giving, whereas Tamarind exudes an acidic air which is not good for health. Hundreds of years back there was a merchant who wanted to travel far away for business. His pregnant wife let him go but only on one condition. She said, “On your onward journey sleep every night under the Tamarind tree. On return sleep every night under the Neem Tree.” The merchant kept his promise. The first night when he slept under the Tamarind Tree he felt a little ill. And subsequently, each night his health deteriorated, until he could proceed no more. Tired and ill he returned home. While returning every night he slept under the Neem Tree, where he felt better each night and his health improved. And by the time he reached home the Neem had almost cured him. The Neem has amazing curative properties. And when the merchant returned home his wife was overjoyed. This is the tale of the Neem and the Tamarind Trees which I think will be difficult for you to forget. This work was supported by IUCAA and Tata Trust. This film was made by Ashok Rupner, Gargi Rupner, Gunjan Rupner TATA Trust: Education is one of the key focus areas for Tata Trusts, aiming towards enabling access of quality education to the underprivileged population in India. To facilitate quality in teaching and learning of Science education through workshops, capacity building and resource creation, Tata Trusts have been supporting Muktangan Vigyan Shodhika (MVS), IUCAA's Children’s Science Centre, since inception. To know more about other initiatives of Tata Trusts, please visit www.tatatrusts.org