If there are trees, there will be elephants

Or so thought this boy of four.

I was at this luncheon party a few months ago. A quiet neighbourhood in the heart of the city. It had this delightful little balcony, with a tree drooping over it and many more trees in the backdrop, which was basically some apartment blocks. But with a lawn also thrown in, it was as green as it can get in a city.

This boy of four (or three, or somewhere in between three and four) trotted up to the balcony and stood by the railings, peering through them at the trees. And he turned around and lisped, "Elephants will come now from there." To indulge him, I said, "Really? From where?" So he pointed to the trees and said with as much conviction as his voice could express: "From there. Elephants will come. They will come and ask for food."

I smiled indulgently and thought how fertile his imagination was. By which time his mother had also walked up, and she explained: "Ever since we went to the Bannerghatta National Park and he saw elephants there, he thinks that wherever there are trees, there will be elephants."

This incident came back to me today when I saw most of the dailies sporting a picture of a tree to mark World Environment Day.

How sad are we, that children think three puny trees form a forest?