Among the land marks in Bengaluru, Cubbon Park is one. This 141 – year - old public park was originally laid in 1870 covering an area of 100 acres. It was first named "Meade's Park" after Sir John Meade, the acting Commissioner of Mysore. Following subsequent expansion, it now covers an area of 300 acres, but much of it has been encroached by buildings and other facilities. It was renamed as Cubbon Park after the longest serving Commissioner Sir Mark Cubbon.

In 1927 it was renamed as "Sri Chamarajendra Park" after the name of Mysore ruler of Wadiyar dynasty (1868 - 94) during whose rule the park was set up. At a time in history when the British Commissioner was more powerful than the titular rulers like the Mysore Wadiyars, it is understandable the name was changed to Cubbon Park.

Being located at the edge of cantonment and the old city, the park has been the victim of encroachment over the years. To begin with there was Attara Kacheri, government offices, now converted to High Court, the Central Library and the Museum on the Kasturba Road. Later Century Club came in, the government employees' building, a Tennis Court, Children's Library and Bal Bhavan and even fish centre of the government (KFDC, Mangalore) with an always crowded restaurant. The Queen's Park with the statue of Queen Victoria standing tall imperiously on her high pedestal is for now sans any eyesore structures. May it stay so, always.

1) A public bath for your pleasure at Cubbon Park as I saw and enjoyed. 2) Agitate and then meditate, O, man! 3) Let the sleeping dogs lie, I shall continue with my exercise in Cubbon Park. 4) And there is something fishy in the Cubbon Park.

Cubbon Park has a few statues of VIPs of the past and a Band Stand where music used to be played (orchestra as they call it) on given days in a week. I used to listen to the music here with my friends eating peanuts with pods, cracking them and popping them into mouth stretched over a long time. Kodava Samaja Bangalore did not have a building of its own during my years in Bangalore 1958 - 1964 and the Committee meeting used to be held under the shade of trees of this park. Likewise, many other small groups used to hold meetings here.

Mercifully, the connecting road from the old city to M. G. Road and Kasturba Road are closed now. I went there for a morning walk on 8th of this month and found the Cubbon Park shrunk in size and dug - up in many places. Plastic trash all over the place, specially where eateries are located. We Indians do not seem to have any sense of public aesthetics. The park is the gift of a gifted British Engineer of that time and see how we have reduced it into a dirty, dumping yard, with trees growing more for reason of God's grace of rain and cool climate rather than man's conscious effort.

The hapless people of Bangalore do rush to the Park for morning and evening walk while those stricken with love find refuge here, so also those who want to do their thing sub - rosa during the inbetween time when there are very few people around. Like at the Hanging Garden area in Malabar Hills, Mumbai. Happy time young folks. But spare a thought for those who are prudes and feel embarrassed on seeing a private affair as a public demonstration. Some like it, some don't. Did you get me Steve?

Looking at the debris strewn around, unswept roads, flower - beds created long ago longing for live flowers and all the evidence of neglect a thought crossed my mind. If the Bangalore Corporation could earmark Rs. 10 crore every year since 1995 for the Kempegowda Museum that fruitioned only this year, why not allocate a like amount or even more every year for the development and upkeep of Cubbon Park?

Perish the thought. Who wants a peanut of a bribe from this work? Our officials and politician are not monkeys!

By K. B. Ganapathy
Editor in Chief
Courtesy: Star of Mysore