The road where residents do not complain of pollution

COIMBATORE: Bharathi Park Road, named after the famous Bharathi Park built in 1934, and flanked by the forest college on one side, is known for its greenery and calm atmosphere.
"Before Independence, this park was called Goshen Park as the then governor of Madras, H E Viscount Goshen, came to the city to inaugurate the Siruvani tank and the park constructed on this road," said Rajesh Govindarajulu, city-based historian.It was the Siruvani tank that attracted several businessmen to build homes in the area.
The road begins with the famous Avinashilingam deemed university located near the Mettupalayam road. Small stationery shops and other petty shops came up outside the university for a 100m stretch. "Past the shops, there are 7 cross roads that emerge from Bharathi Park road, all ending at NSR Road which is the commercial area," said historian Perur K Jayaraman.
The famous Bharathi Park is home to several bigwigs of the city. "There's a famous glass house located on the third cross street of Bharathi Park road built in early 1960s. Spread across 64 cents, it was built by Neelakantan Iyer who owned several plantations in the Nelliyampathy estate in Kerala. He was a wealthy businessman," said historian Rajesh Govindarajulu.
According to historians, it was one of the biggest bungalows that had a modular kitchen, a grand piano in the drawing room and a spectacular dining table. Later it was sold to C A R Raghunathan who further developed the home and built a beautiful garden to complement the home.
Ragunathan has the finest collection of matchbox cars, watches, pens and ivory. He named the glass house after his wife, Sarawathi Bhavanam. Raghunathan was in the film distribution business and his home appears in the Tamil film ?Malligai Mohini' where actress Latha plays the lead. Many films have been shot here but today, it is in ruins. The land itself was divided in three parts and sold to businessmen after 1970. The last owner of the glass house was A K Venkatapathy Naidu who sold it in 1977.
"Earlier there were just two houses on this road, the glass house and another bungalow named Bharathi owned by a jeweller. It was a deserted area at night and even today we can see many watchmen guarding the bungalows," said Govindarajulu. The Bharathi Park, home to several bird species, squirrels and enormous trees is every resident's favourite place to hang out in the evening.
C Chandra Kumar, a resident of Bharathi Park Road for more than 25 years says, "Even though this road joins the Thadagam road and Mettupalayam road, buses are not allowed to pass through it. It is pollution free with fresh air and a great place to build your dream home." I hope they maintain it this way always, he adds.