As a child, J. Bhaskar would spend much of his evening, every day, at the temple tank at Agatheeswarar temple at North Mada Street in Villivakkam.
Along with a small group of friends, he would feed the fish at the tank or simply watch the ducks swimming around the tank. Bhaskar, 41-years-old and the owner of a timber depot, is renovating this tank with some savings he has managed.
He is assisted by his father, N. Jayapal, in this project, which has been keeping the duo extremely busy for a month now.
“Our neighbours were supportive when we discussed the idea of renovating the tank. They received enough support from the local temple authorities too,” says Bhaskar.
Having got the nod from the HR&CE Department, which maintains the facility, for renovation work, the father-son duo and a few others in neighbourhood have developed an elaborate renovation plan, which includes desilting, deepening and strengthening of the bund of the tank. Some of the work has been carried out. Already, the tank has been deepened to a depth of three feet, says Bhaskar.
Subsequently, repair works on the 20 footsteps around the tank were carried out, he says. Most importantly, a 20-feet-well has been dug up in the centre of the dry tank. The well in the tank is also expected to provide a few pots of water for residents in the neighbourhood during summer.
