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The Banana Leaf
As I walked past the villa on the 5th avenue, which everybody was talking about, in terms of the rich plantation of banana plants in a small patch of land in front of the house, I was impressed with the way in which the owner of the villa had supports in place for the rich banana yield. The fruit, I thought to myself, is fragile and delicate and here was a family that had taken time and patience to grow these banana plants.
Mythologically, my parents had always shared stories with us as kids about how growing banana trees were considered auspicious. The stories had various associations with Lord Vishnu who is considered Lord of wealth and prosperity. Hence banana trees were harbingers of prosperity which is tailed by good health, luck and peace. Also considered a sacred plant, the banana plants being used to please gods, in rituals, festive occasions, marriage halls and temple visits and other such associations rushed through my thoughts. In India, in particular, no temple visit is considered complete unless the gods are offered bananas and coconuts. Like the coconut tree, the banana tree is put to various uses in Hindu homes. The trunk is used for decoration, the fruit is a good offering made to gods, the leaves are used to place the offerings in front of the gods and the flower of the tree is also used as a vegetable. Wonder whether this is the reason behind a banana tree not being woody?
