A sweet spot
Spread out over a little more than an acre, Bhandup’s Madhuban Garden scores high marks for its plentiful green cover, cleanliness, well-maintained walkway, public amenities and playground equipment.
Maintained by the World Renewal Spiritual Trust, hundreds of people, including students from the nearby Guru Nanak School and Parag High School, visit the garden every day to get away from the stresses and hassles of daily life. On weekends, the plot is a popular picnic spot for families and young people.
Signage
Access
Access is open to all. There is no entry fee. The garden is open from 5 am to 1: 30 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm. This falls short of the 15 hour minimum that a civic garden should remain open, as mandated by the BMC. Visitors can enter through the main gate or a side gate. There are no security guards. While the garden is well cared for, one corner, which has a stage and two other constructions, is off-limits to the public, courtesy of a ‘no entry’ board.
Installations
A beautiful open jogging path winds through the garden. Several lampposts, two dozen benches, and a hundred trees dot the landscape. A 450 square foot meditation centre and a spiritual healing centre are open to the public at all times. A Shiv Ling allows devotees to pay homage to Lord Shiva. The equipment in the children’s play area is well-maintained and clean. There are plenty of dustbins, a drinking water station, and a clean public toilet. A 150 square foot room is used for the caretaker’s quarters, which is in accordance with the BMC’s rules that state that no shed bigger than 10 per cent of the total plot size can be constructed.
“We love this place”
Mulund resident Bharat Toprane said he visits this garden because of its green cover and shade. “It’s nice and cool inside,” he said. Bhandup resident Pooja Pagare, relaxing on one of the benches said, “I come here every day because I feel safe. I usually visit during lunch time and chat with my friends.”
Sumit Shukla, a student from the Guru Nanak School, enjoying the garden’s playground equipment, said, “We all love this place.”
“We’ve transformed the plot’
The garden’s caretaker Brahma Kumari B.K. Lajwanti said, “Before we took over in 1994, this place was a den of iniquity. The public was afraid to enter. However, we’ve transformed the plot. Now, we hold summer camps for the youth, blood donation programmes, de-addiction campaigns, counselling, motivational programmes and even self-defence lessons.”
When asked about the corner of the garden with the stage and the ‘no entry’ sign, Lajwanti said, “All the constructions are legal. We have complied with the terms of the agreement with the BMC.”
Corporatorspeak
Suresh Koparkar, Congress corporator, Milind Nagar said, “The caretaker has done a really good job over the past twenty years. The BMC should continue this arrangement.”
You can do your own open space audit. For help, contact Mumbai Mirror’s Alka Dhupkar at Alka.Dhupkar@timesgroup.com
Maintained by the World Renewal Spiritual Trust, hundreds of people, including students from the nearby Guru Nanak School and Parag High School, visit the garden every day to get away from the stresses and hassles of daily life. On weekends, the plot is a popular picnic spot for families and young people.
Signage
The garden, in accordance with the BMC’s policy for management of open spaces, has put up two signboards at its entrance: the first stating that the property belongs to the city and the second displaying the name of the garden, its timings and caretaker. There are also banners offering courses, workshops and seminars in the garden’s meditation centre.
Access
Access is open to all. There is no entry fee. The garden is open from 5 am to 1: 30 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm. This falls short of the 15 hour minimum that a civic garden should remain open, as mandated by the BMC. Visitors can enter through the main gate or a side gate. There are no security guards. While the garden is well cared for, one corner, which has a stage and two other constructions, is off-limits to the public, courtesy of a ‘no entry’ board.
Installations
A beautiful open jogging path winds through the garden. Several lampposts, two dozen benches, and a hundred trees dot the landscape. A 450 square foot meditation centre and a spiritual healing centre are open to the public at all times. A Shiv Ling allows devotees to pay homage to Lord Shiva. The equipment in the children’s play area is well-maintained and clean. There are plenty of dustbins, a drinking water station, and a clean public toilet. A 150 square foot room is used for the caretaker’s quarters, which is in accordance with the BMC’s rules that state that no shed bigger than 10 per cent of the total plot size can be constructed.
“We love this place”
Mulund resident Bharat Toprane said he visits this garden because of its green cover and shade. “It’s nice and cool inside,” he said. Bhandup resident Pooja Pagare, relaxing on one of the benches said, “I come here every day because I feel safe. I usually visit during lunch time and chat with my friends.”
Sumit Shukla, a student from the Guru Nanak School, enjoying the garden’s playground equipment, said, “We all love this place.”
“We’ve transformed the plot’
The garden’s caretaker Brahma Kumari B.K. Lajwanti said, “Before we took over in 1994, this place was a den of iniquity. The public was afraid to enter. However, we’ve transformed the plot. Now, we hold summer camps for the youth, blood donation programmes, de-addiction campaigns, counselling, motivational programmes and even self-defence lessons.”
When asked about the corner of the garden with the stage and the ‘no entry’ sign, Lajwanti said, “All the constructions are legal. We have complied with the terms of the agreement with the BMC.”
Corporatorspeak
Suresh Koparkar, Congress corporator, Milind Nagar said, “The caretaker has done a really good job over the past twenty years. The BMC should continue this arrangement.”
You can do your own open space audit. For help, contact Mumbai Mirror’s Alka Dhupkar at Alka.Dhupkar@timesgroup.com
