Mumbai Greens: Veer Savarkar Udyan, a place to jog, socialise and admire grand old trees

Spread over seven acres, Veer Savarkar Udyan in Borivali west is among the largest open spaces in Mumbai. The garden, which is merely a 10-minute walk from the bustling Borivali station, has amenities such as walking track, playground and library to cater to everyone.

For entry into the garden, you have to pay a small fee of two rupees which is utilised for the maintenance and upkeep of the garden and its infrastructure. The park features an impressive jogging/walking track running along its border which is about 1.5 km long.

The track is nestled and surrounded by huge banyan and pipal trees. It has many benches installed to help you take a breath during jogging or simply sit and embrace the magnificent canopies of the hundreds-of-years-old trees that surround it. The trail also surrounds a beautiful lake with the statue of freedom fighter Veer Savarkar at its centre.

The park features an impressive jogging/walking track running along its border which is about 1.5 km long. (Express/Amit Chakravarthy)

The garden has four entrances and each provides access to the different amenities of the garden — playground, skating rink, Dada-Dadi park and kids’ zone. Inside, a small bridge separates the playground from the Dada Dadi park which then leads one to the other side of the lake where one can find beautiful rows of swings, a tiny little park for kids to play in, and multiple outdoor gyms.

Facing the lake is an amphitheatre for people to sit and enjoy the serene views. There are also cubicle-type sitting benches that allow conversation in privacy in this huge public space.

It has many benches installed to help you take a breath during jogging or simply sit and embrace the magnificent canopies of the hundreds-of-years-old trees that surround it. (Express/Amit Chakravarthy)

The park also features a roller-skating rink, a huge central gazebo with the life story of Savarkar highlighted in various posters, and ample space to conduct indoor events. The two other tiny gazebos with a stage in the centre near the Dada Dadi park have been a location for everything from karaoke nights to birthday celebrations.

The park also features a roller-skating rink, a huge central gazebo with the life story of Savarkar highlighted in various posters, and ample space to conduct indoor events. (Express/Amit Chakravarthy)

The highlight of the park is not the impressive infrastructure or the grand open space in the space-starved city but the rich community that it nests. Dada Dadi park or the grandparents’ association is an 8,000-member strong organisation which offers life membership for a one-time fee of Rs 100. With the help and efforts of various social workers and non-governmental organisations, they have built an indoor sports facility, a library, and senior citizen-friendly infrastructure inside the park.

While taking the walkabout between 7:30 am to 10:30 am, you will find a very exciting and enthusiastic bunch of young 70-year-olds playing cricket on the park’s maidan. “We started as a group of six grandfathers playing cricket in the morning and slowly have now grown into a huge community of senior citizens playing cricket together 365 days of the year since 2009,” said 74-year-old Bhaskar Parekh who is one of the founding members of the group.

“Our group is ever-expanding, it has three units namely Dada Dadi Park, IC Colony, and Soni Wadi. The best part about our daily sporting routine is the health benefits, not one of our members has succumbed to Covid or any other disease during the past two years of the pandemic, and our group strength remains unchanged,” said Naveen S Mehta, a member of the group.

If the park, its serene lake, beautiful trees and its well-built infrastructure fail to impress, then surely the energy of the senior citizens playing an intense game of cricket will give you a daily dose of motivation.