I first came across Sultanchampa around 17 years ago. I took a few snaps of the flowers on my manual camera, got it printed and approached Professor Dwijen Sharma for identification. It is from him that I first heard the name Sultanchampa. He also informed that the tree that is known as konnal or punnag in our rural areas is actually Sultanchampa.

I was not particularly drawn to the beauty of the flower but I found mature fruits strewn under the tree around my locality. During my school days, I found the fruits being sold in our village market as well. That is why I was a little confused to see the tree of a gigantic size. From then on, I was on the lookout for Sultancahampa.

A few years went by for quite a few reasons before I could finally manage to photograph the flowers. One of the main reasons is that the tree is rare in Dhaka. Braving many odds, I collected two saplings and planted them in Ramna Park in 2012. Sadly enough, neither of the trees survived even for a few months. The next year, I changed plans and planted them inside Ramna Nursery. But they could not grow well there due to a lack of care.

Sultanchampa were aplenty in our coastal belt but their number is on the decline. I treasure the memory of seeing Sultanchampa blossom on my way to Sonapur from Ramgati Bazar in Noakhali on a rainy day. The air was filled with the fragrance of the flower. I did not have a camera with me. With a heavy heart, I returned home painting the pictures of the flowers on the canvas of my mind. It took quite a while for me to get over this sense of loss.

I made a fresh attempt in 2015 but in vain. The trees did not flower in due time. Locals consoled me with a word of prediction that the trees would flower anytime soon. Frustrated, I got back again with a sense of agony. I was left with the last option to take a picture of the flower at the Botanical Garden. I was informed by an authentic source that a tree behind the Orchid House has got a few flowers. I rushed there with my nature lover friend Sahana Chowdhury, who got excited on hearing about Sultanchampa. I kept photographing the flowers like crazy for quite a while.

Sultanchampa (Calophyllum inophyllum) is an evergreen tall tree. They can grow up to 12 meters. The leaves are dazzling green with roundish tree tops. Depending on the location, they flower from end of summer until winter. But mostly rainy season is their prime flowering time. The white flowers are of two kinds.

The tree has immense wood value. Different parts of the tree are of herbal use. A scented yellow oil which is known in the market as Dimo/Penei oil is produced from the seeds. This oil works wonder in any kind of infection. One kind of gum is produced commercially from the tree, which is known as Takamaka Gum. The bark juice is wonderful for bowels. The flowers are effective in the treatment of skin diseases. The tree in our country is basically used for colour, timber and oil.