Fragrance Walk and the Botany of Opium Trade

Botany of Ships is walk about the trees that built sail boats and ships that once frequented the ports.

This walk is a two track narrative switching between the Bombay’s opium trade history and the role trees have enabled in spreading trade, religion and war.

Later we see those miniature models in Bhau Daji Lad museum (within the same complex). While the story unfolds Bombay opium trade history. Our walk takes place in Rani Baug Botanical Garden & Bhau Daji Lad Museum, both of whom much like Bombay, owes their existence to ships.

It is believed trees are immobile, yet they manage to lure humans into carrying them across continents in ships. Through ships trees have gained global mobility in geography and society whose position now remains rooted in human hierarchy. Owing to this spread we see some trees have access to more land and water than most humans, almost like idols of gods.

These walks are one of many designed to erase tree blindness and introduce Mumbai's tree diversity.

In the garden we will look at the trees used in building boats, ships and their parts.

In the museum we will examine ship models and ports that once were in Bombay.