These are possible print designs for my project.I want to use the Banyan tree because it is beautiful, recognizable, and represents life to these Tamil people. 
This is Tamil for the "Banyan Tree".(pronounced "allah-madame") It is a sacred tree in Asia, and it seems to be very sacred in South India. The Banyan tree not only represents the family but it also represents eternal life. The tree supports its wide canopy by growing "prop roots" from its branches. These roots hang down in a widening circle outwards. The Sanskrit name for the Banyan is bahupada which means 'one with many feet'. Chandrah told me that the trunk always represents the elders, and the prop roots represent the ever expanding family members, all connected from above. 
I took this of a great Banyan trunk I found. It's so intricate. I really fell in love with these trees and there are many great examples on the outskirts of Pondicherry and in Auroville. There were two in particular that I liked to see when living in Auroville. One was near a natural water drainage so alot of the soil was washed away. Not only did it have tons of prop roots hanging from the branches, but almost the entire root system underground was exposed. It looked as if it could fall over any minute, but that didn't stop all the old men from smoking beedis and squating to talk all day everyday in the shade. I am sure they have all the world's problems solved by now, but Tamil is a hard language to understand and comprehend so I didn't stop and ask. The other tree that always caught my attention just sat in the foreground of a picturesque landscape; complete with a pond full of lotus and a tiny bright blue temple with fuschia trim.
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