The garden with the Old Woman’s Shoe, one of Mumbai’s favourite hangouts, has come to life again with bright colours and attractions around a ‘nursery rhyme’ theme. Residents of Malabar Hill and Walkeshwar nearby who frequent the Kamala Nehru Park — more so their children — are enamoured of the new look, but others miss what it used to be like.
Then and now
Created in 1952, the park offers a breathtaking view of the Queen’s Necklace. Its lush-green lawns, flowering shrubs in a variety of colours and age-old trees have always made it one of the city’s important green lungs. An exclusive area for senior citizens, an Ashok Stambh and a waterfall were its original features, but what stood out for walkers and visitors was the Old Woman’s Shoe. Designed after the nursery rhyme, ‘There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,’ by former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Environment Engineer Soli Arceivala, it has always been the park’s biggest attraction. Nearly five years ago, a streak of lightning damaged the shoe.
The BMC shut the park in 2017 for repairs and a revamp, at a cost of ₹5 crore. It was thrown open in February this year.
Much like the original theme, the beautification was done around nursery rhymes. English, Hindi and Marathi rhymes and Jungle Book characters adorn many of the park’s walls, in addition to a rainbow-themed amphitheatre, a seating area with the galaxy painted on its walls, a floral selfie point, a gazebo, and cane swings. The Shoe sports a new look, painted in blue and red. A British-era clock holds steady while the old fountain has been replaced with a lily pond.
Children’s play equipment is in a separate area. There are three viewing points for the Queen’s Necklace.
Mixed experience
There are those who love the new look, and there are those who don’t. Walkeshwar resident Diksha Shah’s children, in particular, have taken to it. “I played in the park as a child and I wondered if my children would like it. But they were thrilled to see it after the revamp. It’s perfect for children,” she said.
Not everyone is as ecstatic. Malabar Hill resident Shobhan Diwanji, once a regular walker at the park, has stopped going. “After the revamp, the layer of mud on the walkway was not even flattened. The other problem is the music being played on speakers. The garden looks good but is not good for walking: the walkway is ruined by cobblestones.”
Dinesh Karasiya, a Girgaum resident who has been going to the park for several years, said, “I have a problem with the security. People are seen feeding crows inside the garden, which litters the place. I even complained to the security officer about it. Besides, there are patches where water from sprinklers comes on to the walkway. Someone can slip there.”
Bharat Mehta, a senior advocate from Nana Chowk, on the other hand, said the revamp was all form and no substance. “It has become a ‘photoshoot garden’. People are not allowed to even step on the lawn to collect flowers that have scattered on the grass. There is a play area for children, but shouldn’t they be allowed to play on the lawn?” Mr. Mehta still goes to the park as he is part of a group that even has a fixed tea vendor there. But he knows another group that practised yoga in the lawn here and has now moved to the equally iconic Hanging Gardens nearby.
Sanjay Shirke, a local resident and activist, said the lotus pond had too many mosquitoes. “Besides, the garden’s main entrance has been shut, and the two gates that are open are far from the bus stops.”
‘Onus on visitors’
There are those who have a more balanced view of things. “The BMC has given us a beautiful facility,” said civic activist Indrani Malkani. “It is the people who should behave responsibly now. Large groups of families come here, but they should not litter the park with food.”
Local Bharatiya Janata Party corporator Jyotsna Mehta said she would try and improve facilities at the garden. “We will disallow eating on the lawns, as there is already a designated area for the purpose. We are introducing some more improvements in the garden, and people’s concerns will be taken into account.”
Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Additional Municipal Commissioner, who initiated the revamp, said the garden was never dedicated to walkers in the first place. “It is a children’s garden. The walkways have always had paver blocks. Senior citizens have several facilities in Hanging Garden. It is not true that people are not allowed on lawns. They should just not pluck flowers or eat there.” He claimed the number of visitors to Kamala Nehru Park had “increased manifold” since the revamp.
In time, perhaps, it will grow on everyone.