‘No group activities in Lalbagh’

Authorities ordered a reading group not to gather on the lawns of the botanical garden with mats

Some Bengalureans have termed Lalbagh authorities’ latest diktat regressive and appalling. Recently, social media was abuzz after a reading community was asked to refrain from sitting in groups and laying mats on the lawn. But authorities say the rule is not new and stems from Lalbagh’s classification as a botanical garden. M Jagadeesh, joint director, horticulture, Lalbagh, explains, “We get species from different parts of the world and we have to conserve them. Cubbon Park, on the other hand, is a public park. It allows group activities with prior permission.”

In BBMP-maintained parks, only playing is restricted because it can obstruct walkers, says a horticulture official from the civic body. “People can play in dedicated play areas and work out in gym areas,” he says.

‘Mats can damage grass’

Jagadeesh says all group activities are banned in Lalbagh. “When photo shoots and film shoots were allowed, people would damage the trees. Before walkathons and marathons were banned, people used to come out in thousands, venture into the lawn area and damage small plants. Except for functions of the Lalbagh department, all government functions are also banned,” he clarifies. He says people can use benches or sit sporadically on bigger lawns to read. But he says sitting on the lawns is a strict no as it can “weigh” the grass down and damage it.

What happened?

The trouble broke out during the September 10 meetup by Lalbagh Reads — a community of book lovers who meet on Sundays in Lalbagh to read in silence. It started in May as a chapter of Cubbon Reads, whose members congregate at Cubbon Park in central Bengaluru. The Lalbagh chapter has over 4,800 followers on Instagram and sees a turnout of 60 to 80 people in every meetup. Lalbagh Writes and Lalbagh Paints have emerged as offshoots. The groups all sit close to each other.

Architect Nanditha Bhoopalam, one of the five curators of Lalbagh Reads, says: “We gather near the West Gate. It is partly covered in grass and is partly not turfed. The day of the incident, a man told us that we can’t sit or lay mats on the grass and that Lalbagh is only for walkers and not groups. He called us a mob and told us what we were doing was illegal.” The man said he is an activist and called the guards on the group, which included small children and a woman in her 60s.

He later wrote a letter to horticulture authorities, complaining about the use of grass lawns for activities like picnics, reading and school trips. He also called for beefing up security to seize mats, plastic bottles and food at entry gates. Two days later, Nanditha’s team met the Lalbagh authorities. “We invited them to come see what we do. But they didn’t agree. They also asked us to remove ‘Lalbagh’ from our community name. We can’t use the name for publicity, we were told,” she shares.

What now?

The community hasn’t changed its name yet. The members come to Lalbagh to read, write and paint but spread out and sit individually and meet only for the group photo. “Yet, the security guards came to drive us away this Sunday. But we stood our ground,” says Nanditha.

The hunt for another location has begun. “People suggested M N Krishna Rao Park but it gets too crowded on Sundays. So we will look at smaller BBMP parks,” she says.