Through a recent series of events, Cubbon Park has become the subject of an ongoing debate regarding ownership and maintenance of public spaces.
Cubbon Park is a historic landmark and a ‘lung’ area in the heart of the city, with many official and public buildings located within and along its periphery.
A recent State Government notification redefines the park’s boundaries, reducing its area from 245 acres to 167 acres and also excludes 27 Government buildings from the purview of the park.
This allows alterations to these areas and structures without previously specified clearances.
The Department of Horticulture oversees park administration and its Deputy Director, Mahantesh Murugod, defended this move, saying, “This is just to clear the confusion about the park’s size, as various documents from 1975 state different figures.”
Another significant change is a sustained wave of gentrification. In the recent months, the vendors in and around the park have been evicted.
There is an invisible but definite wave of moral policing. Lower income groups are said to be discouraged from using the park, especially at night.
It is this process that Maraa, a media and arts collective in Bengaluru, has questioned through a series of protests in the park in August this year.
Maraa has been working in Cubbon Park since 2008, organising events and gatherings, trying to make the space more accessible. During these recent protests, there were day-long sessions in which attendees made scarecrows, representing different groups of people that were being kept out of the park, whichwere installed around the park.
The scarecrows were subsequently removed.
The authorities defended their actions, claiming that the scarecrows were frightening children.
Responding to this protest, Murugod says, “We have never kept anyone out. Only, at 7.30 p.m. we ask people to return home.”
Though the park is officially open till 10 p.m., people are often forced out much earlier. On prodding, Murugod says: “There are anti-social elements and gentlemen unnecessarily doing bad things.”
Ekta Mittal, co-founder of Maraa, says, “All people, irrespective of class or background, need access to public spaces.”
She narrates the story of Sajid, a park regular, who met his girlfriend every Sunday here. One evening, they caught someone flashing her. Shaken up by the incident, she swore to never step into the park again. In retrospect, Sajid asked, ‘Is the park safe for couples? What if women want to come alone? If we just talk till late, we are taken to the police station.’
The anonymity, safety and the non-capitalist framework that parks once offered made them a good meeting place.
In response to these issues, Murugod says defensively, “People will always complain. We’re organising daily stalls, workshops, cultural events, fairs and now we’re banning vehicle movement on Sundays. We’re doing everything for the common man.”
He also brings up the lack of communication between park officials and the public, adding bewilderedly, “No one has approached me directly. You can see that I’m available for conversation.”
With protests, Maraa has been stirring up a debate about the ownership of public spaces like Cubbon Park and gentrification of neighbourhoods. These issues are a matter of serious concern, given that parks in the city are either being encroached upon by Government bodies for large-scale constructions like that of the metro, taken over by private organisations or given to resident associations.
Vinay Srinivasa of the Alternative Law Forum (ALF) says, “Neighbourhood parks have many restrictive rules; they’re shut during noons and nights. Only a certain class of people are allowed, one can’t eat there, the list is endless.” He explains that these rules get enforced with ease as Government bodies would rather please residents of nearby colonies than working class people who often don’t have the agency to complain. Vinay concludes, “The Government is supposed to be a caretaker of the commons, but instead it is acting like the owner. Instead of ensuring access, they’re limiting it.”
Maraa’s ongoing campaign towards shaking up citizen apathy with respect to public spaces is summarised by Ekta, “We can’t continue responding after things reach a point of no return. We wake up late in Bengaluru, literally and metaphorically. It may be pleasurable when it comes to sleep, but not in matters of policy.”
Maraa’s efforts culminate in a public exhibition which will be at Cubbon Park on October 9.
It will display scarecrows and stories created during the protests.
