When we hear the term “family tree” in a conversation, the first thing that comes to mind is a tree-like diagram representing family relationships, with individuals shown as nodes and connecting lines illustrating how they are related.
PodaKahani is reintroducing the concept of the Family Tree , a tree that becomes your family’s identity. It could be a majestic banyan or peepal tree rooted in the same place for generations, or even a small bonsai that travels with you through life.
Multi-generational Legacy
A bonsai is an especially good option to be considered as your ‘family tree’, considering that people often move or sell their land, sometimes even unwillingly. What they can always carry with them is that bonsai in a pot, a living part of their family’s story.
The concept is to pass down a living symbol of your family’s story, a bonsai that carries generations of love, memories, and identity. Imagine your great-grandson proudly showing the bonsai you chose as your family tree to his friends, both in photographs and in person, and then his children doing the same with theirs. What a beautiful legacy that would be.
You can even grow multiple bonsai plants to ensure the tradition continues without interruption, after all, plants are living beings, and having more than one safeguards this precious connection for future generations.
Why Go For A Bonsai As Family Tree?
It is estimated that a wild version of a species might live 50–100 years, but the same species as a bonsai could live well over 100 years, some even reaching 300–500 years when passed down through generations. It is to be noted that the oldest bonsai today is Ficus retusa linn aged above 1000 years.
When A Tree Becomes Part of Family
The most fascinating part of having a bonsai as a family tree is the ability to document its growth over time. Imagine keeping a photographic record each year, you and your father pruning the bonsai, the year marked on each photo, and then your children continuing the tradition. As the years pass, both the tree and the family members in the pictures grow older, creating a timeline that spans centuries.
It may be symbolic, but it speaks volumes about your love for nature and the care it takes to nurture it. A bonsai can be tamed just enough to live alongside generation after generation of your family. The beauty of such a legacy is almost unimaginable.
Go to a nursery today with your whole family and bring home 5–10 bonsai plants to start nurturing together. Make it a family event and celebrate their “homecoming” every year. Over time, these bonsai will become part of your shared story.
PodaKahani is doing special features on such bonsai family trees. If you’d like us to feature yours on our website, write to us at info@podakahani.org.
See this list of most hardy, long living species of bonsai suitable for Pakistan’s environment.