Under the Banyan Tree by R K Narayan

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A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan" often refers specifically to the species Ficus benghalensis, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a unique life cycle, and systematically to refer to the subgenus Urostigma.[1] The seeds of banyans are dispersed by fruit-eating birds. The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground, and may envelope part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of "strangler fig." The "strangling" growth habit is found in a number of tropical forest species, particularly of the genus Ficus, that compete for light. Any Ficus species showing this habit may be termed a strangler fig.
Older banyan trees are characterized by their aerial prop roots which grow into thick woody trunks which, with age, can become indistinguishable from the main trunk. Old trees can spread out laterally using these prop roots to cover a wide area. The largest such tree is now found in Kolkata in India. One of the most famous of banyan trees was planted on the island of Kabirvad in Gujarat. Records show that the Kabirvad tree is more than 300 years old. Another famous banyan tree was planted in 1873 in Lahaina's Courthouse Square in Hawai'i, and has now grown to cover two-thirds of an acre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banyan

In the Story Under the Banyan Tree by R K Narayan, the village goes under this tree and listens to the story Nambi tells. He can go on for days to tell one short story. Nambi is illiterate, but has great imagination. Nambi refuses to tell his age, and does not want to be old. At the end of the short story, he realizes he is old. He is dumbfounded he has no more stories to tell. Nambi has a great ending quote "it is the Mother who gives the gifts: and it is she who takes away the gifts." Although the villagers are confused, those were his last words, Nambi lived in silence until the day he died.