Under the presidency of Lord Ronaldshay Sir J. C. Bose delivered a
lecture on Friday the 4th January 1918, at the "Bose Institute" on 'The
Praying Palm-tree.' He said:
Perhaps no phenomenon is so remarkable and shrouded with greater mystery
as the performances of a particular palm tree near Faridpore. In the
evening while the temple bells ring calling upon people to prayer, this
tree bows down as if prostrate itself. It erects its head again in the
morning, and this process is repeated every day during the year. This
extraordinary phenomenon has been regarded as miraculous, and pilgrims
have been attracted in great numbers. It is alleged that offerings made
to the tree, that is to say to the custodian of the tree, have been the
means effecting marvellous cures. It is not necessary to pronounce any
opinion on the subject; these cures may be taken as effective as other
faith cures now so fashionable in the West.
I first obtained photographs of the two positions which proved the
phenomenon to be real. The next thing was to devise special apparatus to
record continuously the movement of the tree day and night. But
difficulties were encountered in getting the consent of the proprietor
to attach foreign instruments to the sacred tree. His misgivings were
however removed when it was explained that the instruments were pure
Swadeshi, being made in my Laboratory. The records of the Palm Tree
showed that it fell with the rise of temperature, and rose with the
fall. Records obtained with other trees brought out the extraordinary
and unsuspected fact that all trees are moving--such movements being in
response to changes in their environment.