[Pungai tree]
Pongamia pinnata. A tropical medicinal tree native to India, known for its shade giving and oxygen generating capabilities. The oil of the pongam seeds is traditionally used in oil lamps.
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In Tamil Nadu, there is a much valued tree called pungai maram (Indian Beech). It does not bear any edible fruits. Nor can you brush your teeth with its twigs, unlike the neem tree. But it is hugely valued, simply because it quietly does its own thing. It is said that this tree is most loved by the singing birds of southern India. There are scientific claims that certain trees generate more oxygen than others, and that they therefore draw more life towards themselves than others. I do not want to go that way, but if you sit under a pungai maram tree, the coolness that it exudes when you sit under its shade is very different from that of any other tree. We could go into reasons, but by dissection, you will only know physical aspects – you will not know the essence.