A legend lives on...

If it could talk, the tree would tell you tales -- of majestic bygone eras and mighty Mughal emperors.

Yes, if the Akshay Vat (or the undying tree), which still stands tall in the Allahabad Fort, could talk, it would entertain you with tales of Akbar the Great, and rulers before him. It could, if it felt like it, return you to the time of the Vedas, the Puranas, the Upanishads...

If only the tree could talk -- and, equally important, had an audience to talk to!

The tree, despite its uniqueness, has been undergoing a forced quarantine -- for, the Fort has been under army control for a long time.

Now, the authorities are exploring ways to allow visitors in, even planning an independent approach, so that public can come and go as they please without interrupting any army activities.

In which case, the common man could at least see, if not hear, a living legend, unmarred by the ravages of centuries.

UNI