Garden’s Galore
Three things are in abundance in Matunga, restaurants for foodies
, clothes and accessories shops for shoppers and the 3rd and most
important thing , open spaces in the form of Gardens and play grounds . In this
day and age of high rise towers , maddening crowds , traffic chaos and all that
stress we are surrounded with , one thing that brings a smile of the face and
a real inner peace is looking at all the tiny tots and children playing and
having a gala time in all the Gardens in Matunga.
The most famous and most recognized garden in Matunga is the
Five Gardens or the Mancherji Joshi Gardens right is the midst of Matunga
–Wadala and Dadar Parsi Colony triumvirate. Even though I have captured the
essence of Five Gardens in my very early blogs, you can very well go on and on
about these wonderful gardens which act as the lungs of Matunga . A visit here
is sure to drive away all that stress and tension you feel in your body and
mind. Just a walk around these gardens and breathing in the fresh air brings a
spring in your step and music on lips. You can find a whole lot of people of
all statures, big , small , tall , short , thin , obese , the athletic type
the sluggish type the stressed out weight losers type all walking round and
round in circles around these five gardens trying to become fit as a fiddle by burning those extra pounds gained by the frequent hogging on pizzas and burgers
with those extra cheese and mayo.
The fun part is that not only are these Five Gardens best for
the health conscious types but they are
equally fun for all the kids in the neighborhood . The recently opened play
area in one of the 5 gardens is a huge hit with children of all ages between
2-12 years. The garden has a big multi slide section with options for tiny tots
and older kids. There are small ladders / steps for these preschooler to
climb on , entwining tunnels connecting one section to the other to crawl
through and small slopping slides to slide on. For the older kids there are the
helical slides and tall towers to climb on. Then there are bridges and rope-ways for all to balance on and have a lot of fun. Towards the other end of this
garden there are swings and jungle jims , balancing beams and sea saws . All in
all a fun filled wolrd for the kids and their parents. Looking at the kids
playing and running around and hearing their screams of joy brings a broad
smile from ear to ear to your face.
These gardens are also a paradise for the romantic types or the
first time lovers with dreamy eyes and love in their hearts. Best place to meet
your sweet hearts , away from the crowds , creating a world of their own in the
nooks and corners of these gardens.Sometimes you can get pretty embarrassed if
you catch them lovey –dovey couples indulging in rather intimate PDA (Public
Display of affection).
Just outside the children's garden the are lot of fun activity
options like the giant wheel ,
merry-go-round and swinging ship . Other attraction is the Horse cart ride for
smaller kids and live horse riding for the older kids. The horse handlers are
experts and make the horse walk , trot and gallop as per the age of the rider. Visit
this five gardens and enjoy an evening with your kids , you will love it.
If the crowded five garden is not your cup of tea , walk down to
King Circle Garden now named as Maheshwari Udyan . This circular garden has
been maintained by L&T the Indian Construction giant for last 15 years and
has been winning the best garden award from the Brihan Mumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) gardens department. This garden is well laid out and
landscaped to make this small garden appear large from inside . Once you step
in you find a clear demarcation of kids play area and space for sitting and
strolling.In the kids area again there are clear signage's near play equipment's mentioning
age groups they are meant for. So you have small slides and duck shaped merry
go rounds for the preschoolers . Then there are larger group of slides inter
connected with small bridges and intermittent steps and ladders , where the
older kids can enjoy walking up and down and sliding down.
Just near by you have jungle-jim on which the kids can use their
motor skills and spend their energies climbing , crawling and hanging from the
horizontal bars in between. Or just climb to the top and sit and have a great
view. Then there are the regular swings and see-saws to have fun on and some
special duck shaped swing for the tiny tots.
Out side the kids section there is a well laid out lawn with
soft & green grass. You can just sit on the grass and enjoy the evening or
play an game of catch with the flying disc or the Frisbee . Or have a go at
football with your kids. There are stone and wooden benches for the grand pa’s
and grand ma’s to sit on when they accompany these mischievous kids who play
around. Right in the middle of the garden is a Water fountain started around 7
pm every evening . the water looks mesmerizing in the accompanied glow of colorful
lights bright blue , pink , orange and yellow. You can sit and look at the
sprinkling water and enjoy the serenity.
There are othe smaller gardens across Matunga , like the Samosa
garden a triangular shaped garden behind Pramanik stores with garden swings or
the metal jhulas on which entire family can sit and enjoy the leisurely
swaying. Or right across the Napoo Marriage Hall is the Napoo garden a small
but well maintained garden which is another option for the kids. Then there the
Padmakar Dhamdhere garden opposite to I.E.S School (King George High School).
This one is equally favorite of the kids and the parents alike . Kids can
enjoy the slides , swings and see saws and the parent can enjoy a jog or a
brisk walk on the well laid out jogging track.
The newest addition to all the gardens present in Matunga is the
freshly opened Garden under the King Circle –Dadar TT bridge. Its starts at the
Ruia Signal end and ends at the Maheshwari Udyan . It’s the first of its kind,
conceptualized by local Matunga neighborhood group, funded by the local corporator Nayna Sheth and the BMC to effective use the area below the flyover
which other wise would have become a home to junkies or beggars. Now this space
is properly gated and fenced to bar their entry. The interior is landscaped professionally.
The concept was to bring out a look of a river bank , in this case the Godavari
(made out using blue ticker tiles ) , depicting its flow . The side lines are
well lined with green shrubs flowering plants and small palm trees . The
sidelines are fitted with small white led lights which shine like tiny stars
all across the length of the garden. From a distance it looks like the night sky
has descended in Mantunga. It also has well
laid out walking path for the evening walkers , a designated sitting area in
the form of steps in the middle , looking like the ghats on the river bank.
Then there are mulit coloured lights focused on the flyover pillars which gives
a mesmerizing look to this garden. Hues of pink , green , yellow and deep blue
makes you feel as if you have entered a dream world. All this despite the
garden being in the middle of the ever busy Dr.Ambedkar Road and the
surrounding traffic. Hats off to the great efforts by all the concerned people
who got involved in creating and implementing this one of a kind garden right
in the middle of Matunga.
So come and enjoy
Mumbai’s only garden district, the magical place that is Matunga…….
No comments:
Post a Comment