BoTree House

Bo and Bodhi

By Debu Majumdar

The children’s book “Viku and the Elephant” was published by Bo-Tree House, so during my book signings, several people have asked me what Bo means.

Bo-tree is short for Bodhi tree, a common tree in India and South Asia. It is the tree under which Siddhartha Gautama Buddha received enlightenment 2600 years ago and made the tree famous. The small publishing company that published this book draws inspiration from this triumph of one man and is established on the image of this ancient but still flourishing Bodhi tree. I have been to the spot under the Bo-tree where the Buddha sat and meditated. Its heart-shaped leaves have inspired me all my life. I couldn’t but include a line in the story that says:

“Tired and hungry, he [Viku] sat down under a large Bodhi tree with heart-shaped leaves.”

The Bo-tree is very special to me. It is a tree of awakening and I hope this little children’s book will inspire many children to search for knowledge and truth.