THE ANDHERI PARK PROJECT
Words by Ria Jaiswal and Photographs by Naman Saraiya.
For: The City Story
Ellen Burns Sherman once said, “The more civilized man becomes, the more he needs and craves a great background of forest wildness, to which he may return like a contrite prodigal from the husks of an artificial life”. If you’re said civilized man or woman with a residence postcode that lies between 400 053 to 400 061 – largely known as Andheri West – we’ve plotted some patches of forest wildness for you. Okay, they’re bonsai forests, better known as parks, but any respite from this concrete jungle is good respite, yes? Yes! So tie up those laces and take a walk around these parks.
Lokhandwala Garden
Timings: 5:00am-11:00am and 4:00pm-9:00pm
For many locals, it’s safe to say they’ve watched the park grow over the years just as the park watched them grow up and out of the swings. Although not large in area (blame an oversaturated city?), the park manages to house a children’s playground, an exercise area, a mini badminton court, a prayer area, some small meeting spaces sheltered away from the rain, a fountain and what we stepped out for – open grassy patches. Stroll the length of the park in the evening to hear some acoustic, classical music being played off speakers or sign up for one of the laughter classes in the morning and make a new friend (or five).
Con: Holding a professional camera is probably the highest offence here and can result in you getting accosted by the guard. So, avoid?
K.L. Walawalkar Udyan
Timings: 5:30am–9:30pm and 4:00pm–9:30pm
One of the newer parks in the area, this one’s been dressed up, bow on top included a.k.a clean washrooms. Planned in a concentric manner, the outer ring is a 470m paved walkway followed by an inner, 350m sand running track. And open only to the curious is the core ring with two mini ponds (yes!), an arch bridge and a terrain that’s much like an oasis. Head out early morning or late evening to skip the screaming kids and find yourself staring in awe at the young martial arts trainees or find yourself a trainer and train away instead.
Con: The only park in this list where the guard will physically check any bag that’s bigger than a wallet.
Chacha Nehru Park
Timings: 5:00am–9:00am and 5:00pm–9:30pm
Housed between a private road and a rather busy (thanks to the metro) public one, at first glance this park looks like a regular run-of-the mill square land. Take a few steps closer, pay the Rs. 5 fee, walk inside and towards the far end and you’ll find a football pitch within! The pitch is enclosed; making the fear of getting hit in the face a distant one. But, if walking/running is more your thing, the track is nice and long with an incline at certain areas – a good shake up of the terrain.
Con: The grass could do with a bit of trimming and a couple of gallons of water wouldn’t hurt either.
Nana Nani Park
Timings: 5:00am–10:00am and 5:00pm–10:00pm
The latter half of this name can be a bit misleading if you’ve got even 1/10 of Hyde or Central Park in mind. A Rs. 2 entry fee will lead you into a quaint little three-person-wide parallel pathway surrounded by two-person-wide lanes of greenery. Enclosed between two roads, the park tends to be a bit noisy but with fewer people that balances out. Keeping up with the name, the regulars here seem to be a slightly older bunch, not including the rug-rats hanging off the jungle gym in the children’s play area tucked away at the end. If you’re on the lookout for a neighbourhood laughter class or the occasional health camp, this is your pitch.
Con: You can bring a friend along, but you’ll have to leave your trainer behind. A strict no-trainer rule applies.
Dattaram Narayan Kaskar Park
Timings: 5:00am–11:00am and 4:00pm–10:00pm
This is one of those parks you stumble upon whilst walking home and it’s a pleasant surprise. Tucked away on a rather inconspicuous street, the insides of this grassland transport you to Kerala. Perennially dewy, fern green grass reigns supreme over this plot with a tiny, meandering walkway snaking its way around only to make way for a tiny children’s play patch. But wait, what does this have to do with Kerala? The grassy centerpiece is dotted with skyscraping palm trees, keeping the skyscrapers out of sight. Bliss.
Con: The kiddie area has an age limit – 5-12 year olds only! Age 27 with a dream to slide your woes away? Step away.
“1208/7” Park
Timings: 6:00am–11:00am and 4:00pm–9:00pm
This isn’t a park. It’s a magic trick! And here’s why: (1) It doesn’t have an actual name. But, 1208/7 seems better than Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Udyan Pt. 253, right? (2) What looks like the size of a boxing ring from the outside opens up to (possibly) THE largest children’s play park ever seen in the city. (3) Every plant is named. Educational value – check! Right from Ficus Benjamina to Canna Indica and even the “ornamental light pole”. That, perhaps, is an honest mistake? (4) It’s super breezy, even on a balmy summer day. Do we need more reasons?
Con: Just like any magical land, there are snakes here and signs all over the park cautioning you against them. Knowledge of Parseltongue won’t help.
