Located in the heart of Madras, Demonte Colony once resonated with the culture ethos of those times. And then, the locality fell into an almost deathly silence, with many of its structures devoid of any human presence.
Then the demolition machines trundled in and many structures were razed to the ground. The debris was cleared.
But still, there remain a few spots in the locality that wear a bit of a squalid look. These include a park. Now, residents of the locality have formed a group and taken up the responsibility of maintaining the neglected park.
Thanks to their diligent efforts, the park has sprung back to life, and has once again become a beehive of activity.
There are morning walks and workouts, Silambattam classes and badminton games.
“As volunteers carry out the cleaning work every day, they enjoy a positive vibration at the end of the day,” says a volunteer from the group.
From planting saplings to watering them, the volunteers take care of every aspect of park maintenance.
“We are cleaning the rubbish every day; we have even placed dustbins across the park. Still, some visitors litter the park by throwing eatables,” says M. Ramalingam, a volunteer.
These volunteers hope get adequate support from the Corporation in maintaining the park. They strongly feel the need for appointing a security personnel.
“We do this work as we are interested in the park. Some of the volunteers are supporting the initiative financially. The best thing about these volunteers is that they don’t seek credit for the work,” says Shekar, another volunteer.