A Bengaluru park, its heritage and green warriors' desperate attempt to save it

It was a usual Sunday (February 11) morning in Bengaluru's famed Cubbon Park. The February sun had filtered through its green cover turning every spot of the park bright and lively. Joggers, walkers, picnickers, dog owners, book lovers and couples had travelled from different parts of the city to rest a while and soak in greenery on the park's premises before the week began.

In a little corner of the park, a group of men, women and children stood with placards and shouted slogans to save the park from “real estate sharks”. The protest of the “green warriors” was against the proposed construction of a 10-storey building inside Cubbon Park. They demanded the ruling Congress government to stay away from the city's "lung spaces".

A protest to protect the park

Arun Kumar BA, a member of the Cubbon Park Walkers Association, told The Federal the park is a green heritage and the city can’t afford to lose it.

“We will continue with the protest till the government revokes its decision,” Kumar, a software professional added. Cubbon Park Walkers Association was formed 20 years ago. Today, it has more than 200 members.

In the past too, Cubbon Park had witnessed similar protests "to save it from being encroached by land mafia, vehicular traffic and pollution and illegal activities”.

Dharmendra Kumar, a Cubbon Park Running Group member, said the heritage park has already lost a lot of its land over the decades.

From 300 acres, today Cubbon Park has been reduced to 197 acres. Its garden space stands at a mere 150 acres. “If construction continues unabated, the whole of the park will be turned into a concrete jungle,” added the entrepreneur, who has been running in Cubbon Park since 2010.

'Cubbon Park is an emotion'

As beda, beda, building beda, beda, beda, concrete beda... (No to buildings, no to concrete...) slogans reverberated in the air, more people joined the protest to express their ire against the attempt to encroach upon the park's land.

Septuagenarian Jyoti Thyagarajan has been coming to Cubbon Park since she was eight. "For us (Bengalureans), Cubbon Park is an emotion. The government can’t play with our emotions and let the park become a concrete jungle," said Thyagarajan.

Recalling some old memories, she added, "I have been visiting the park my whole life. It is like a routine I have been following religiously. A lot has changed over the years.

"Bengaluru was once known as the garden city. Now, people associate it with the information technology revolution. My life has changed too. The park has changed too. But we don't want it to change further to vanish altogether."

Signature campaign

In the virtual world too, denizens of Bengaluru under the umbrella of Heritage Beku (We Need Heritage) started a signature campaign. In 2019, members of Heritage Beku voiced their dismay against the same project. The project was in cold storage because of the campaign led by citizens to protect Cubbon Park. Its campaign, No #HighRise at Cubbon Park, garnered a lot of support from social media users. Around 12,000 signed the petition of Heritage Beku.

“Every city is unique because of its cultural, environmental and architectural history. But the last few years have been unkind to Bengaluru's past. In our haste to ‘develop a world-class city’, we have been very callous with our heritage. Heritage Beku’s focus is to engage with citizens, policymakers, the government and other stakeholders to preserve what is left of our legacy,” reads a statement from the organisation.

Government's U-turn

Like in 2019, this time too the government has been forced to stay away from the park's premises. According to media reports, after the Sunday protest, the government is scouting for another site to build the multi-storied structure.

“It is a good news. Finally, good sense prevailed upon the authorities. All thanks to the protests, petitions and pressure from the citizens which forced the government to make a U-turn," said Urmila BT, a college-goer and a regular Cubbon Park visitor.

'The park is for the people'

Devanand Paswan, one of the park's many security guards, was standing and intently observing as Bengalureans expressed their views to safeguard every inch of the green space. “I feel blessed to be inside the park every day and guard it. It is one of the best places on the earth for me,” said the 52-year-old who originally hails from Bihar.

Paswan during his one year guarding the park has mostly seen visitors coming to find some solace in its greenery. “Others are here for running, walking, cycling and skating. The park is for the people and it should remain so,” he smiled.

According to a survey done by the Department of Horticulture in 2022, there are as many as 8,837 trees in Cubbon Park. Out of them, 5,914 are exotic and 2,685 are indigenous. The British-era park is home to 197 tree species.

Gauriamma P, 64, said that she tries to visit the park as often as possible. "I come and sit alone on a bench to contemplate. The trees here help me to breathe easily. Life is hard and the greenery provides some solace."

Uday Prabhat is almost six decades younger than Gauriamma. The seven-year-old boy visits the park with his father almost every Sunday. "I come here to play and run. There are no restrictions here. I can run as much as I want to," Uday said.

Listening to Uday, whose words oozed with excitement, Amritha Gowda, a marketing professional, laughed. “I come here to spend time with my friends. Sometimes, we have picnics inside the park.”

As Bengaluru is growing and expanding daily, Cubbon Park remains one of the last few public spaces where people like Gauriamma, Uday and Amritha can spend some quality time in its green glory.