India, April 19 -- Last evening, thousands of Mysureans gathered for a candlelight march, mourning the loss of 40 majestic trees, each over 70 years old, felled overnight along a short 300-metre stretch of Hyder Ali Road.

Will this move the authorities? Unlikely. But it will make them think twice next time. That alone makes the protest matter.

But where are our political leaders in all this? Strangely silent.

There's more to this tree-felling than meets the eye.

For context, most Mysureans know that Hyder Ali Road runs from the SP Office, past Nexus Mall, through Gandhinagar and beside St. Philomena's College, ending at Ambedkar Circle.

Now, if the authorities truly intend to widen the entire Hyder Ali Road, did they obtain permissio...