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Mumbai is known for its skyscrapers, crowded roads and endless rush, but tucked inside the city is a quiet reminder of its past — a 110-year-old banyan tree at Sir JJ College of Architecture. For generations of students, the tree has been more than just part of the campus. It has become a place to pause, breathe and escape the pressure of college life.
Standing at around 125 feet, with branches spreading nearly 85 metres, the massive banyan has witnessed generations of students walk through the college gates. Many students have spent time under its shade while working on assignments, preparing for exams or simply taking a break with friends. Some even describe it as the college’s “guardian” or its “oldest student”.
What makes the tree special is not just its age but the memories attached to it. Students have often turned to its shade during stressful days, finding a few peaceful moments away from classrooms and deadlines. Even the college principal, Rajiv Mishra, is known to spend some time under the tree and says it offers a sense of calm amid the city’s constant rush.
The banyan is also home to a small ecosystem. Birds build nests among its branches, squirrels move around its sprawling roots and its enormous canopy provides a cooler space within the campus. In a city where open spaces are increasingly precious, the tree continues to offer both greenery and shelter.
The college also takes steps to maintain the heritage tree, with experts periodically checking its condition. Its survival is a reminder of how much Mumbai has changed around the natural landmarks that were already here decades ago. Other heritage trees across the city have similarly witnessed Mumbai’s transformation from an older landscape into the modern metropolis it is today.
For every new batch of students, faces change, classrooms change and eventually college life comes to an end. But the banyan remains in the same place, quietly watching another generation arrive.
Perhaps that is what makes this 110-year-old tree so special. It does not have a plaque telling stories of everything it has witnessed. It simply stands there, offering shade and silence — a living piece of Mumbai’s history that has watched generations grow beneath its branches.
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