New Town got its 15th park at the onset of Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary year. Subhas Chandra Bose Udyan opened in AE Block, opposite New Town Business Club, on Saturday. So far, Action Area 1 had 11 parks and Action Area II had three, which are maintained by New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA).
The park, spread over 60,000sq ft, was inaugurated on Saturday by fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose. It offers a pictorial overview of Netaji’s life through 20 sidelit panels that are aglow after sunset. The panels, at a height of about 5.5ft., are divided into three segments — Subhas in his youth and in leadership on one side and Subhas in his struggles on another. It starts with childhood pictures in Cuttack and highlights phases like expulsion from Presidency College. The second is on his days in active politics. The third and longest segment showcases his military missions abroad, with the formation of Azad Hind Fauj.
Another aesthetically pleasing element is a cluster of ceramic tiles that carry photo prints of him in various phases of life, mostly alone but a couple also with wife Emilie Schenkl and Jawaharlal Nehru. They provide a curved backdrop to a 15 ft fibreglass statue. “The statue is modelled on a photograph of Netaji during his tenure as president of the Indian National Congress,” said NKDA chairman Debashis Sen.
The park on opening day Sudeshna Banerjee
The ceramic tiles light up in hues of the tricolour in the evening, lending an aura of patriotism to the park. But what catches the eye the most is the riot of colours, thanks to seasonal flowers everywhere. Dahlia, chrysanthemum, calendula, petunia, phlox and marigold greet visitors and flank them as they take pedestrian walkways fitted with anti-skid tiles winding through the park.
There is also a stage built against the wall in the central section. This will be the third park in New Town to have a stage after Vivek Tirtha Sishu Udyan in AE Block and Rabindra Tirtha Sishu Udyan in DD Block.
Officials said the theme component of the park was developed over barely 15 days with the flower beds prepared in nine. “There must be over a million flowers here,” said one.
Park on opening day. Sudeshna Banerjee
Residents of nearby houses are delighted with the park. “It was a vacant plot of land. We heard about a month and half back that a park would come up here. Hundreds of workers were deployed over the last few days to get it ready in time. It has turned out to be better than in our dreams. Now we only hope it is maintained equally well,” said Manindra Kumar Singh, who stays in the building right next to the park and goes for morning walk behind Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Government College. “Now I can walk here,” he said.
The chief minister has also announced building a monument named after Azad Hind Fauj in Rajarhat but land for that has not been identified.
