The Rain Tree of Northstar

I do not remember
How it became the grandest
Of all trees that I have known
It was four feet tall
When I was the same
Now I am barely a foot taller
After a few years,
But the Rain Tree
Is now twenty feet high
Now I am a few inches more
But the Rain Tree
Is forty feet high
And the canopy,
Oh, that canopy
Wide, round, towering
Shades us all
I sit there sometimes
Sometimes alone
Sometimes with friends
Sometimes with my class
There are many Rain Trees here
And I have known many of them
I will remember them all
Perhaps, a few of them
And I will remember
Those summery days
When I sat there
It was cool and quiet
I remember the winter cold
It was foggy and misty
Sometimes I hear birds
I wonder,
Will they, these Rain Trees
Remember me?

Our entrance passageway, Prelude, has become one of the favourites places on the campus for outdoor learning. This has happened over the last 2-3 years, primarily because of the great canopy of the Rain Trees and Siris tree that line the Prelude. It creates a beautiful, shaded, cosy place for learning. Adjoining the Prelude are sand play areas on both sides. This is now a much closer representation of the school is about: Large trees, kids sitting under it, free play areas all around. In late spring and summer, the Rain Tree in filled with beautiful puffs of pink flowers. A beautiful sight.

• Mohit Patel