Renovating spaces for public

Candid Expressions

With Bangaloreans getting concerned about public spaces in the City, ‘Blueprint of a Park’ an initiative by Maraa, was held near the bandstand at Cubbon Park recently.

This monthly forum, which has been an initiative from 2009, tries to trigger dialogues about art and media in the public space through practice, performance and expression.

Trupti Maraa from the organisation says, “We’re just trying to do what we can to make
open spaces more accessible and usable for different purposes. Like many other parks that we’ve been to, we try to reclaim dead, found and empty spaces in the City.”

About the initiative that the group has taken up, another member Ekta Mittal says, “Here, we’re trying to give a platform to people to express themselves on paper. We wish to invite people of all ages to paint an imaginerium for a park and create blueprints, sketches, paintings of everything one wants a public park to be.”

Ekta elaborates that the group, along with other groups across the City, will be submitting a proposal to the Minister of Horticulture in September about revitalising Cubbon Park with the hope to open diverse publics and trigger multiple imaginations.

 “The blueprints that we receive here will be a part of the proposal that will be submitted. Often, many proposals for refurbishing a place are put forward and then not much happens about it,” says Ekta, adding, “for instance the bandstand here, which needs to be fixed urgently. We are asking for the roof to be fixed soon, a few plug points and for some lights.”

There were participants from all ages at the event who sketched their concerns about the park. While many spoke about the need for more security in the park, others spoke about the need of lights.

A visitor from New York, Rina, says that such concepts of expression are definitely inspired from the West, and will help to communicate the message.

“I’m very driven by arts, and it’s important that parks like these have a space for yoga and other such relaxation activities. Parks are a good venue to promote good health and there should be encouragement for the same,” she says.

Chaya, a youngster, who was present at the park with her family, wishes a lot of changes for the park.

“Clean drinking water and a safer place for people to walk is also a must,” says Chaya. Her mother Nikitha voices, “The painting on the walls is also coming down and the park needs more guards to keep a check on all the strange activities happening in the park.”

Other participants wanted stress to be laid on outdoor activities at the park. “This is a very noble attempt to try and do something to make a public space better,” says Joan, an eighth grader.

She adds, “A cycling zone should be one of the priorities for the park.”