CHENNAI : Walkers huff and puff while others stroll about, some stretch while others vigorously use equipment in the open-air gymnasium, some dance while others play a sport, some chat animatedly with their walking group while others prefer solitude — all this and more happens every day under the watchful eye of the trees that provide a luscious green cover in the heart of Mylapore at the Nageswara Rao Park.
The Vardah cyclone, however, ravaged the park, uprooting many trees. It was at this point that Sundaram Finance, which has been maintaining the park for 15 years, conducted an audit to find out how many of the fallen trees could be salvaged and replanted. What followed was the planting of 1,000 saplings since 2016, restoring the park to its green glory.
“We came even after the cyclone to walk in the park,” said Lakshmi Sundarajan and Vimala Padhmanabhan, who have been regulars for several years. “We walked in the water with trees around. But now, the park looks better than it was earlier. It is so lush, green and eco-friendly.”
For K Shivakumar, who has been a regular for over 17 years, the park is a place to walk and catch up with his walking group. “It is such a pleasurable experience to walk in the park. I always look forward to this one hour where I unwind with friends and breathe fresh air. After the cyclone, I was wondering what would be done about the park but it has come up beautifully and has retained its charm,” he said.
One now finds several new trees at the park including Asoka, Neem, Badam, Naavalpazham, Punga Maram, Kara Kondrai (used for Onam), Mandarai, Arasa Maram, Poovarasu, Nela Sampangi and Gulmohar.“Wherever possible, we tried to restore the trees. In case of trees which were gone for good, we looked at planting new saplings. In the backdrop of certain trees being more susceptible to falling, we reassessed the kind of trees to plant in our city, given its soil condition, proximity to coast and elevation,” said TT Srinivasaraghavan, MD, Sundaram Finance.
Apart from this, Bermuda grass (G2) has also been laid. This grass has the power to grow even during very hot conditions. In the last few months, one has seen a beautiful lawn right in the middle of the park.“Earlier, children used to play cricket and basketball in the centre of the park and it was a real nuisance,” said Meenankshi Ravikumar, who has been a regular here since 2009. “I have even been hit by the ball a couple of times. Now they have fenced the entire space which has been very helpful for all of us walkers because we can walk in peace. The other great thing which has happened with this fencing is that the lawn has really flourished,” she shared.
New trees planted
The Vardah cyclone ravaged the park, uprooting many trees. It was at this point that Sundaram Finance, which has been maintaining the park for 15 years, conducted an audit to find out how many of the fallen trees could be salvaged and replanted. You can now find several new trees at the park including Asoka, Neem, Badam, Naavalpazham, Punga Maram, Kara Kondrai (used for Onam), Mandarai, Arasa Maram, Poovarasu, Nela Sampangi and Gulmohar.