Across the Fort St. George — the iconic 17th Century structure that now houses the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the 10-storey State Secretariat, Fort Museum, and St. Mary’s Church — is a serene 14-acre park, perfect for a picnic.
The Secretariat Park on Rajaji Salai sees only a minimum number of walkers and joggers, possibly because there are not many houses in the area.
As a soothing sea breeze sets in a couple of hours before sunset, offering a welcome relief from the summer day’s intense heat, The Hindu on Friday spoke to some people who had come to unwind in the park.
Greener once
E. Chinnadurai, a resident of Perambur, has brought his family to the park for a photo shoot of his kids to mark his toddler’s birthday.
“We have visited the park before. When we come, we go to the museum opposite. The park used to be much greener but not so much now,” he says as their photographer struggles to make his young son stand still for a shot. “Earlier, there were security issues; it used to be unsafe to bring children here after dusk. But the police keep coming in now,” he adds.
Under a gazebo sits Adhirai, a 23-year-old medical intern at the Madras Medical College, by herself, to do some journaling. Recalling the day she noticed the park while driving through Rajaji Salai a couple of weeks ago, she says, “I thought [to myself] ‘wow, this place is so beautiful! How did I miss this?’ and made a mental note to visit.” Prompted by the will to get over a recent personal setback, she arrived at the park on Friday to journal amid the rustle of leaves. “I love being in nature. It calms me down,” she says, smiling.
On the walking track, two women — Hema and Subhashini, from Coimbatore and Tirunelveli respectively — go on brisk jogs, stopping for a minute to catch their breath before starting again. Students of the Tamil Nadu Government Dental College, they prefer coming to the Secretariat Park because it is close by and it is not too crowded.
Unlike the other bustling parks such as Semmozhi Poonga or the Anna Nagar Tower Park, which are equally beautiful but offer less privacy and space, the Secretariat Park is a better pick, visitors say.
A three-member team of two young boys and their father, residents of Chintadripet, play cricket. “It’s summer holidays, so I’ve been bringing them to play here,” the father says. The only grouse that parents have is the poor maintenance of children’s play area.
A place to read too
As the sun sinks into the horizon, visitors get ready to leave the Secretariat Park. It is also one of the spots used by the growing silent reading community in Chennai. Here, right opposite the historical edifices that mark the birth of the city, people gather on Sunday mornings to read under a tree.
