Project Description

"The witness trees: A Communal Healing Grove

In the heart of a small community stands old banyan trees , once the living room of the neighborhood, now quiet but still breathing stories into the wind. This proposal reimagines the tree’s embrace as a healing space, weaving together memory, nature, and togetherness.

Here, healing is not solitary, it is shared. Under the vast canopy, neighbors gather for conversation, laughter, and the gentle rhythm of daily life. Women sit in a circle, weaving cloth and weaving bonds. Elders share folktales while children listen wide-eyed, their feet in cool grass. Some nap in the dappled shade, while others dip their toes in the pond’s clear water.

The space is designed for the senses to heal. Wind chimes sway with the breeze, mingling with bird songs in the branches. The touch of soft earth and cool water grounds the body. Sunlight filters through leaves, shifting in golden patterns. The air carries the scent of flowers seasonal, familiar, and comforting.

This is more than a place; it is a ritual of belonging. The banyan becomes a natural cathedral, where the roof is green and alive, and the walls are made of friendship and care. Every element from barefoot lawns to water play is an invitation to pause, to feel, to connect. Under the Banyan is a gentle reminder that healing can be as simple as sitting together, sharing a story, and letting nature hold us all."