An odd natural event, mixed with people’s belief and disbelief, created a strange chapter of curiosity, talk and superstition in Brahmanbaria’s Akhaura. Various rumours began in the area around a kadai tree trunk — uprooted in a storm — that suddenly appeared to stand upright again a few days later. At one point, people were seen making offerings and lighting candles and incense there. To bring the situation under control, the administration finally cut the tree down.
The incident is in the Munshibari area of Bachiara village in Mogra union of Akhaura upazila. About a month ago, a large kadai tree was uprooted, roots and all, in a Kalbaishakhi storm. After its branches were cut off, the roughly 15-foot trunk lay on the ground. But a few days later, locals were astonished to see the trunk standing largely upright again. As the matter spread on social media, people began rushing to the spot from far and wide. Some saw it as a normal natural event, but many looked for a mark of the miraculous in it. Gradually, activities such as tying red cloth at the tree’s base, lighting candles and incense, and making vows began, and locals feared the spot risked becoming an informal “mazar” (shrine).
In this situation, the local administration removed the tree with the help of police and the Fire Service on Friday (5 June) afternoon. Akhaura upazila assistant commissioner (land) and executive magistrate Kafil Uddin Mahmud said the tree was in a risky state and was removed with the owner’s consent, and that the money from selling it would be donated to a mosque or madrasa. Officials said the tendency to treat any unusual or rare natural event as miraculous still exists in society, although, according to botanists, some trees can partly stand upright again after being uprooted if part of the root stays attached to the soil or the trunk’s balance shifts — rare but not impossible. The local administration said action was needed before superstition could spread by exploiting people’s religious feelings, so quick steps were taken to dispel confusion and avoid a possible undesirable situation. The incident is a reminder that nature’s wonders can spark curiosity — but that it is equally important to stay alert that such curiosity does not turn into blind faith.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report