NCERT Notes Class 11 English Woven Words Poem 10: Felling of the Banyan Tree (Free PDF)

The poem Felling of the Banyan Tree by Dilip Chitre is the tenth poem in the Poetry section of the NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words textbook. This poem narrates the destruction of a majestic banyan tree and the surrounding trees, reflecting on themes of loss, change, and the conflict between humans’ actions and nature. Chitre explores the emotional and cultural impact of uprooting a symbol of permanence. This blog provides easy-to-understand NCERT Class 11 English notes with explanations, meanings, and analysis to help students understand the poem’s themes. You can also download the free PDF for quick revision.

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Important Word Meanings in Felling of the Banyan Tree by Dilip Chitre

In the poem Felling of the Banyan Tree, specific words and phrases convey the emotional weight of destruction, the sanctity of nature, and the speaker’s reflective tone. Understanding these terms clarifies the poem’s message and imagery.

Word / Phrase	Meaning
Tenants	People renting or living in the houses surrounding the speaker’s home
Demolished	Completely destroyed or torn down, referring to the houses
Sacred	Holy or revered, reflecting the grandmother’s view of trees
Felling	Cutting down or destroying trees
Massacred	Brutally killed or destroyed, emphasising the violence against the trees
Sheoga	A type of tree, likely native to India, is cut down in the poem
Oudumber	Another type of tree, possibly a fig variety, was also felled
Neem	A medicinal tree common in India, known for its cultural significance
Scraggy	Rough or jagged, describing the banyan tree’s aerial roots
Aerial roots	Roots hanging from the banyan tree’s branches, seeking the ground
Circumference	The measurement around the banyan tree’s massive trunk
Chopped	Cut repeatedly with axes, depicting the tree’s destruction
Rings of two hundred years	Growth rings in the tree’s trunk indicate its age
Slaughter	Brutal killing, used metaphorically for the tree’s felling
Raw mythology	The tree’s age and grandeur, revealed like a primal, legendary tale
Baroda	A city in Gujarat, the poem’s setting, before the move to Bombay
Bombay	Mumbai, the urban destination with fewer trees
Seethes	Simmers or churns, describing the tree’s lingering presence in dreams

Line-by-Line Explanation of NCERT English Woven Words Poem 10: Felling of the Banyan Tree

Here is a line-by-line analysis of the poem Felling of the Banyan Tree.

Lines 1–2:
My father told the tenants to leave 

Who lived on the houses surrounding our house on the hill
The speaker describes their father ordering tenants to vacate houses around their hilltop home, setting the stage for a significant change, likely driven by the father’s authority.

Lines 3–4:
One by one the structures were demolished 

Only our own house remained and the trees
The houses are systematically destroyed, leaving only the speaker’s house and the surrounding trees, emphasising the isolation of their home and the prominence of nature.

Lines 5–6:
Trees are sacred my grandmother used to say 

Felling them is a crime but he massacred them all
The grandmother’s belief in the sanctity of trees contrasts with the father’s ruthless decision to cut them down, described as a “massacre,” highlighting the violence of the act.

Lines 7–8:
The sheoga, the oudumber, the neem were all cut down 

But the huge banyan tree stood like a problem
Specific trees, sheoga, oudumber, and neem, are felled, but the massive banyan tree remains, its size and deep roots posing a challenge to the father’s plans.

Lines 9–10:
Whose roots lay deeper than all our lives 

My father ordered it to be removed
The banyan’s roots, symbolising deep cultural and natural significance, are described as outlasting human lives, yet the father commands its removal, showing his disregard for its value.

Lines 11–13:
The banyan tree was three times as tall as our house 

Its trunk had a circumference of fifty feet 

Its scraggy aerial roots fell to the ground
The banyan’s immense size is detailed, emphasising its grandeur and dominance, with aerial roots hanging down, adding to its mythical presence.

Lines 14–15:
From thirty feet or more so first they cut the branches 

Sawing them off for seven days and the heap was huge
The felling process begins with the branches, a laborious task taking seven days, resulting in a massive pile, underscoring the tree’s enormity.

Lines 16–17:
Insects and birds began to leave the tree 

And then they came to its massive trunk
As the tree is dismantled, its ecosystem of insects and birds flees, and the workers move to the trunk, marking the final stage of destruction.

Lines 18–19:
Fifty men with axes chopped and chopped 

The great tree revealed its rings of two hundred years
Fifty men laboriously chop the trunk, revealing growth rings that mark the tree’s 200-year history, symbolising its enduring legacy.

Lines 20–21:
We watched in terror and fascination this slaughter 

As a raw mythology revealed to us its age
The speaker and others observe the felling with a mix of fear and awe, describing it as a “slaughter” and likening the tree’s age to a mythological revelation.

Lines 22–23:
Soon afterwards we left Baroda for Bombay 

Where there are no trees except the one
The family relocates from Baroda to urban Bombay, where trees are scarce, contrasting the rural, tree-filled setting of their former home.

Lines 24–25:
Which grows and seethes in one’s dreams, its aerial roots 

Looking for the ground to strike
The banyan tree lingers in the speaker’s dreams, its aerial roots seeking the ground, symbolising its enduring presence and the unresolved impact of its loss.

Also Read: NCERT Notes Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 7: Glory at Twilight (Free PDF)

Analysis of the NCERT English Woven Words Poem 10: Felling of the Banyan Tree

The poem Felling of the Banyan Tree by Dilip Chitre is a reflective narrative that captures the emotional and cultural impact of destroying a revered banyan tree. Through vivid imagery and a contemplative tone, Chitre explores the tension between human actions and nature’s sanctity, the loss of heritage, and the lingering memory of destruction.

Theme – Loss, Change, and Conflict with Nature

The central theme is the loss of natural and cultural heritage through the destruction of the banyan tree, a symbol of permanence and sanctity. The poem also explores the conflict between tradition (the grandmother’s reverence for trees) and modernisation (the father’s decision to clear the land), as well as the emotional aftermath of displacement from Baroda to Bombay.

Symbolism and Meaning

Here, we have mentioned the symbolism used in this poem, along with the meaning behind that.

Symbol	Meaning
Banyan Tree	Represents cultural heritage, permanence, and nature’s sanctity, with roots “deeper than all our lives.”
Aerial Roots	Symbolise the tree’s reach for continuity and connection to the earth, persisting even in dreams.
Rings of Two Hundred Years	Indicate the tree’s ancient history, akin to a “raw mythology” of enduring significance.
Baroda to Bombay	The shift from rural, nature-rich Baroda to urban, tree-less Bombay reflects a loss of connection to nature.
Massacre/Slaughter	Violent imagery for the feeling, emphasising the brutality and moral wrongness of the act.

Human Experience

The poem captures the universal experience of witnessing the destruction of something sacred, whether nature, tradition, or heritage. It reflects the pain of losing a connection to one’s roots, the conflict between progress and preservation, and the haunting memory of loss, as the banyan tree persists in the speaker’s dreams.

Tone and Mood

The tone and mood of the poem have been given as follows:

• Reflective and Mournful: The speaker reflects on the tree’s felling with sadness, evident in phrases like “we watched in terror and fascination.”
• Critical: The poem critiques the father’s disregard for nature’s sanctity, using terms like “massacre” and “slaughter.”
• Nostalgic: The shift from Baroda to Bombay evokes longing for the lost rural landscape.
• Haunting: The mood is eerie, with the tree “seething” in dreams, suggesting unresolved trauma.

Summary of NCERT English Woven Words Poem 10: Felling of the Banyan Tree

In Felling of the Banyan Tree, Dilip Chitre narrates the destruction of a majestic banyan tree ordered by the speaker’s father. The poem begins with the father evicting tenants and demolishing houses around their hilltop home in Baroda, leaving only their house and the surrounding trees. Despite the grandmother’s belief that trees are sacred, the father orders the felling of the sheoga, oudumber, neem, and the massive banyan tree, described as a “problem” with roots “deeper than all our lives.” The banyan, three times taller than the house with a fifty-foot trunk, takes seven days to dismantle, with fifty men chopping its trunk, revealing 200 years of growth rings. The speaker watches in “terror and fascination” as birds and insects flee, and the tree’s “raw mythology” is exposed. The family soon moves to Bombay, where trees are absent, but the banyan lingers in the speaker’s dreams, its aerial roots seeking the ground, symbolising its enduring presence.

Poetic Devices in NCERT English Woven Words Poem 10: Felling of the Banyan Tree

Dilip Chitre employs various poetic devices to convey the poem’s emotional depth and vivid imagery. Here are the poetic devices used in this poem.

Device	Example	Effect
Imagery	“Its scraggy aerial roots fell to the ground”	Creates a vivid picture of the banyan’s grandeur and its destruction.
Metaphor	“A raw mythology revealed to us its age”	Compares the tree’s ancient rings to a mythological narrative, emphasising its cultural weight.
Symbolism	“The banyan tree stood like a problem”	The banyan symbolises heritage and permanence, feeling a loss of roots.
Contrast	“Trees are sacred… but he massacred them all”	Juxtaposes the grandmother’s reverence with the father’s destruction, highlighting conflict.
Personification	“Which grows and seethes in one’s dreams”	The tree is given life in dreams, suggesting its enduring emotional impact.
Alliteration	“Chopped and chopped”	Emphasises the repetitive, violent act of felling, enhancing the sense of brutality.
Hyperbole	“Rings of two hundred years”	Exaggerates the tree’s age to underscore its historical and cultural significance.

Download more NCERT Solutions of Class 11 English ‘Woven Words’ here!

Poem 1: The Peacock Solution

Poem 2: Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds Solution

Poem 3: Coming Solution

Poem 4: Telephone Conversation Solution

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