GH Krumbiegel Headstone Damaged

27 Aug 2026

The Station House Officer / Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law & Order),

Bangalore City Police,

Bangalore, Karnataka.

And

The Director / Deputy Director,

Horticulture Department (Lalbagh),

Bangalore, Karnataka.

26 Aug 2026

Subject: Urgent Request for Investigation, Repair, and Restoration of the Headstone of Gustav Krumbiegel (Hosur Rd Cemetery)

Respected Sir/Madam,

We, at Heritage Beku, are writing to bring to your urgent attention a matter of profound historical and cultural significance: the severe damage to the headstone of the legendary landscape architect and visionary, Gustav Krumbiegel, located at Hosur Rd Cemetery, Bangalore (Gate 1, Plot 6, Row 7, Grave 6).

Mr. Krumbiegel's contributions to Bangalore’s landscape, particularly his iconic design work at Lalbagh, are invaluable to our city's heritage. The destruction of his grave marker represents a significant loss to our shared history.

Ms. Alyia Krumbiegel, his great-granddaughter and a core member of Heritage Beku, has expressed deep grief over this incident. She mentioned that she was very upset when informed about it, but was hesitant to burden the community with this issue, especially given the ongoing discussions regarding the 5% parks bill.

She has noted that many people have come forward offering help, for which she is deeply grateful. She is currently awaiting the report from the Lalbagh officials, who promised to inspect the site today. Enclosed are photos showing the current, severely damaged condition of the tombstone.

We, therefore, respectfully request the following immediate actions:

1. Ascertain the Cause: Conduct a thorough joint inspection (Police and Horticulture) to determine if this damage was caused by accident, natural wear and tear, or deliberate vandalism.

2. Investigate and Apprehend: If the cause is determined to be vandalism, we urge the Police Department to swiftly investigate, identify, and apprehend the culprits, as such desecration of historical monuments cannot be tolerated.

3. Urgent Repair and Restoration: We implore the Horticulture Department to treat this as a priority and expedite the professional repair and restoration of the headstone to its original state. We also request that you share the findings of the promised Lalbagh official report with us.

4. Collaborative Action: We are fully prepared to collaborate with the authorities, mobilize resources, and assist in any way possible to ensure this piece of Bangalore’s history is preserved for future generations.

We look forward to your prompt and positive response, and we thank you in advance for your urgent attention to this distressing matter.

Yours sincerely,

Priya Chetty-Rajagopal

On behalf of Heritage Beku

GH Krumbiegel Grave Damage .docx

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India Cut Down 1.6 Million Hectares. And We’re Calling It Progress.

By Prasad Bidapa

Let’s not dress this up.

In the last 14 years, from 2012 to 2024, India lost 1.62 million hectares of tree cover. That’s not a typo. In 2016 we lost 164,150 hectares. In 2017 we lost 179,261 hectares. Those were the worst years on record in the last decade.

Since 2001, the total damage is 2.31 million hectares gone. That’s a 7.1% decline. It has put 1.29 gigatonnes of CO₂ into the air.

And before you tell me “but we planted trees,” hear me out. Because the numbers the government quotes are hiding the real story.

The part we can’t get back: Primary forest

348,000 hectares of primary forest have been lost since 2002.

Primary forest means old. Natural. Humid. The kind that took 200 years to build the soil, the canopy, the relationships between trees, fungus, birds, and water. You do not “compensate” for that.

In 2024 alone we lost 18,200 hectares of primary forest. That’s up from 17,700 hectares in 2023. The rate is increasing, not slowing.

The Ministry told Parliament that 1,734 square kilometers of forest was diverted for development in 10 years. Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh led. Karnataka is right in that conversation.

At the same time, the government says overall forest cover went up by 21,762 square kilometers between 2011 and 2021.

That’s true. But most of it is plantations. Teak. Eucalyptus. Rubber. It’s green on a satellite map. It is not a forest. It doesn’t hold water. It doesn’t hold wildlife. It’s accounting, not ecology.

Karnataka and Kodagu: Where the pressure is live

Global Forest Watch calls out the Western Ghats specifically. The drivers here are not mysterious. Roads, tourism, plantations.

That means widening NH-275, more homestays in Madikeri, coffee estates pushing higher up the slope, and “weekend projects” that carve into slopes that should never have been touched.

I was in Kodagu last month. I met Devaiah. Third-generation coffee grower in Virajpet. His estate sits on the edge of reserve forest.

“The rain is not the same,” he said. No drama. Just fact. “It comes late. And when it comes, it runs. It doesn’t stay in the ground.”

That matters. Because Kodagu is not just scenic. It is hydrological. The Western Ghats feed the Kaveri, the Netravati, the Sharavathi. Break the forest here and you break water for Bangalore, for Mysuru, for Tamil Nadu downstream.

The report says “due to deforestation, India is facing water problems in urban cities and villages.” In Bangalore we feel it as dry borewells. In Kodagu they feel it as landslides.

This is not theoretical. From 2001 to 2022, tree cover loss in India released 51 million tons of CO₂ equivalent per year. Our forests still remove more than they emit — a net sink of 89.9 million tons per year — but you cannot keep withdrawing from the principal and expect the interest to hold forever.

And it’s not just water. “Birds like sparrows, pigeons and crows are becoming rarer due to deforestation.” I haven’t heard a Malabar whistling thrush on a friend’s estate in three years. Devaiah says the bees are fewer during coffee bloom.

What about the Northeast? A note on Jhum

When people see “1.39 million hectares lost to shifting cultivation” they picture villains with axes. It’s not that simple.

In Arunachal, Nagaland, Mizoram and the rest of the Northeast, that practice is called Jhum. It’s slash-and-burn farming that communities have done for centuries.

Here’s how it works: cut a patch of hillside, burn it in Feb, plant rice, maize, chilies and 20 other crops together. Farm it 2-3 years. Then leave it and let the forest grow back for 10-15 years while you move to the next patch.

When the cycle was long, it worked. The forest came back.

The problem today is the cycle is broken. Population pressure and less land means the fallow is now 3-4 years, not 15. The forest can’t recover. You get weeds, not trees. And on steep slopes that means erosion and silt in the rivers.

Jhum is not deforestation for profit. It’s food on the table. You can’t ban it and walk away. The fix is settled agroforestry, fruit trees, cardamom, bamboo, and actually paying people to keep the land under forest while it regenerates.

So let’s be clear: Northeast loss is about livelihood pressure. Western Ghats loss is about development choices. Both count. But the solutions are different.

Why this is happening elsewhere

Between 2001 and 2024, the other big causes were:

2.⁠ ⁠Permanent agriculture: 620,000 hectares.

3.⁠ ⁠Logging: 182,000 hectares.

4.⁠ ⁠Infrastructure and settlements: 30,600 hectares.

5.⁠ ⁠Mining and plantations: 16,300 hectares.

In Central India it’s mining. In the Western Ghats and in Kodagu it’s us. It’s roads and resorts sold as inevitability.

We are also losing to fire. 36,200 hectares lost to fire between 2001 and 2024.

And globally, the FAO ranked India second in deforestation rate between 2015 and 2020, at 668,000 hectares per year. We need to sit with that.

The lie of “net gain”

Yes, India gained 1.78 million hectares of tree cover between 2000 and 2020. We are one of the top 3 gainers globally.

But you cannot swap 100 hectares of primary evergreen forest in the Ghats for 100 hectares of eucalyptus on revenue land and call it even. One stores carbon for centuries. The other is harvested in 8 years. One holds a watershed. The other sucks it dry.

“Forest cover” is a useful metric. It is not the only metric. Quality matters. Age matters. Biodiversity matters.

What we do now. No slogans.

I’m not interested in vague calls to “save nature.” Here is what would actually move the needle:

1. Draw a red line around primary forest and enforce it.

18,200 hectares lost last year is a policy failure. Map every remaining patch of humid primary forest in the Western Ghats. Make diversion nearly impossible. Pay the cost of saying no.

2. Fix compensatory afforestation.

If you take 1 hectare of forest for a road, you pay. But right now we get monocultures and no follow-up. Mandate native species. Mandate 30-year monitoring. Make the user agency liable.

3. Take the pressure off Kodagu.

Cap tourism density. Incentivize fewer, better homestays instead of 50 new builds on a slope. For roads, use tunnels and elevated corridors instead of cutting hillsides. Devaiah and his neighbors should not be paying for Bangalore’s weekend traffic.

4. Pay people to keep forests standing.

India’s forests are still a net carbon sink. That is an asset. Create payments for ecosystem services. If a coffee grower in Kodagu maintains shade canopy and riparian buffers, pay him for the water and carbon he is storing. Make conservation more profitable than conversion.

5. Deal with Jhum and fire honestly.

Give Northeastern communities tenure and alternatives on the same land. Early warning systems and community fire lines work better than raids.

The bottom line

We lost 1.62 million hectares in 14 years. We lost 348,000 hectares of primary forest since 2002.

You can call that progress if you want. You can call plantations “forest cover” if you want.

But Devaiah in Virajpet will still tell you the rain is different. Bangalore will still have water fights every summer. And the Kaveri will still start in a hillside that has fewer trees than it did when I was a kid.

I’m not a sentimentalist. I’m a pragmatist. Cutting your watershed to build resorts is a bad business decision. Losing primary forest to save 20 minutes on a highway is a bad trade.

We have the data. We have the laws. What we don’t have is the discipline to choose long-term over short-term.

So here’s the choice, plainly:

We either protect what’s left of the old forest, restore the degraded land with real forests, and pay the people who live there to be the guardians.

Or we keep planting saplings, patting ourselves on the back, and wondering in 10 years why the taps are dry.

I know which side I’m on.

For keeps.

---

All figures: Global Forest Watch 2001-2024, Govt of India Rajya Sabha data

MP Central, PC Mohan Meeting Summary: Cubbon Park Development & Upgrade Initiatives

13 July 2026 Meeting Summary: Cubbon Park Development & Upgradation Initiatives

Venue: Horticulture Office, Cubbon Park

Host: Mr. P.C. Mohan, MP (Bangalore Central)

Attendees: DD Cubbon Park, Chetan (Horticulture AD) & senior CP Horticulture staff , Sunita Kumar , Umesh, Prabha Dev, Chandrashekar, Priya Chetty-Rajagopal  (and other stakeholders).

Opening & Special Appreciation

Deep gratitude was expressed to Mr. P.C. Mohan, MP Bangalore Central, for his proactive initiative to leverage MP funds for meaningful improvements to Cubbon Park. The attendees appreciated his forward-looking  support, pre-emptive action, and deep pride for the Cubbon Park, a crown jewel of the city.

Key Discussion Points & Action Items

1. Park Access, Pedestrian Flow, and Safety Fencing

• Park Access & Gate Solutions: The extensive fencing running from the Rose Garden right up to Hudson Circle currently disrupts pedestrian flow, forcing walkers to double back unnecessarily. To keep the park human-centric rather than traffic-centric, it was suggested—and agreed to by Mr. Mohan—to install a couple of gates on each side to allow easy entry and exit for walkers and public, which will both allow access but ensure public traffic safety.

• Hazardous Spike Fences: Sharp spike fences dating back to the SmartCity project remain a serious health and safety hazard for park users and have previously injured people and gruesomely killed dogs. Priya shared her online petition on the subject. While DD Ms Kusuma’s efforts to employ staff to weld down 50% of the spikes were appreciated, the remaining 50% urgently needs to be addressed. Mr. Mohan firmly agreed that public safety is paramount and must be handled immediately, requested the cost of this to be factored in.

  
  

2. Heritage Conservation & Aesthetics

• Gowri Mandir/ The Fern House: Requires an aesthetic and functional makeover of this  circa 1888 heritage space to ensure it is usable and accessible. The team proposed creating a dedicated "program week" to bring focus to the space, ideally linking it with Heritage Day.

• State Central Library: The exterior paint of this iconic Red Cubbon Park symbol remains in terrible condition. Despite a year of letters from Heritage Beku, various entities continue to pass the buck. Priya requested that the library authorities urgently address the painting delay, noting that waiting for CSR funds is unacceptable and harms Bangalore's image. Ditto with the Children’s Library.

• Indira Gandhi Children’s Library: Currently suffers from very low patronage, poor maintenance, low-quality tiling, and a gaudy green and yellow striped entrance. The team proposed upgrading the space for children or transforming it into a dedicated "Cubbon Park Library" to showcase the park's history, origins, and greenery.

• Bandstand: Mr Chandrashekar appreciated the cultural performances at Bandstand by Horticulture Dept and Heritage Beku which provided a strong cultural space on Sundays for the public and was told that the 83^rd performance was last Sunday.

• Public Toilets Facade: The current cream and brown shaded tiles look garish and completely out of place in a heritage park environment and brick cladding is needed.

  • Action: Mr. Mohan immediately agreed to change the facade, directing that it be replaced with a more appropriate brick covering and Mangalore tiles to seamlessly blend with the park's ambience.

    
    

3. KSLTA Wall Remediation

• Visual & Environmental Issue: The back wall of the KSLTA kitchens facing the dry pond creates an ugly view for anyone walking from the bandstand toward the main park due to general waste, rubbish, and foul smells. Earlier the ugly back of the kitchens, dump yard, and storage were entirely exposed, The current green net is a temporary fix put in after many letters were written to Horticulture. A video was shared.  

• Action Plan: Emphasizing that both KSLTA and Cubbon Park share the responsibility to preserve the park's beauty, Priya said that Heritage Beku (which has written two letters on the matter) suggested that KSLTA either build a beautiful, fully covered interface on their side, and also  that a public art mural/installation be added to transform the wall.

4. Dog Park improvement

PC Mohan felt that many people were using and appreciating the dog park , but he was happy to help improve it further and do some more work. Priya appreciated his support and invited him to the next Sunday to see how the volunteers worked on managing this space on Sundays  but shared how tough it was to get the basics handled – fencing , gates, water and electrical point, and painting done via the Smart City project. Also the heavy work and effort on Sunday with stretched volunteers and ensuring the park visitors leashed their dog and picked up pet poop.

Umesh Kumar interjected to state that he more urgently needed an office for Cubbon Park Walkers Association, which has been working hard for the park, and PC Mohan requested DD to look into this issue.

Operational Challenges: Priya agreed and cited the difficulties of managing the facility day-to-day, pointing out broken and rusted fencing, a lack of water, a lack of electrical points, and a dangerous single-gated sloping entry that causes people to slip when dogs run or jump.

• Action Plan: Mr. Mohan specifically requested a targeted list of improvements. Priya promised to follow up with a detailed blueprint of what needs to be done to elevate the facility.

Comprehensive Infrastructure Master List

The following projects have been formally tabled for execution in the agenda utilizing the MP funds:

• Security & Surveillance: Installation of CCTV cameras along with providing separate, dedicated electrical power connections for them. Priya suggested that annual maintenance be included as the last  time the CCTV failed because of that ,

• Jogging Track Restoration: Reconstruction of the damaged Hosakote Murram jogging tracks within the park premises.

• Water Infrastructure: Ensuring a permanent water supply system by sinking 3 Borewells specifically dedicated to the public toilets and park facilities. This is in addition to the existing water replenishment tanks within this space.

• Toilet Facade Upgrades: Upgrading the bathroom facades using brick coverings and Mangalore tiles as agreed.

• Water Feature/Aeration: Construction of an artificial waterfall and  the installation of three aerators in the Lotus Pond area. Water coming in from the Metro should be rechecked as its dirty and has choked the pong, ducks and other water life. Kusuma DD said its checked already and clean but would look into it.

• Park Conveniences: Strategic placement and installation of necessary dustbins and visitor benches throughout the park.

• Re Benches: PC Mohan asked for the number required and the design so he could sanction. Prya shared the initial Heritage Beku Benchmarking Project initiative with Smart City that never took off, which involved public and said she would send the link to him as well.  

• Perimeter & Compound Works: Construction of a secure perimeter safety grill/compound wall around Cubbon Park, along with painting the security cabins.

• Regulated Entry Points: Installation of rotating gates where there is excessive fencing eg  continuous fence from Rose Garden to Hudson Circle Gate .

Next Steps

At the close of the meeting, Priya expressed final appreciation for the MP’s rare proactive outreach and readiness to allocate personal funds while democratically engaging with the stakeholders . DD Kusuma  formally thanked the MP and was very grateful that Mr Mohan had himself offered his MP Funds and in parallel called for a meeting with Preservation Committee to discuss as well. Horticulture AD Chetan was requested to get the tenders in place quickly so that Mr. Mohan can swiftly proceed with implementing these vital works. The issue of short staffing  at Cubbon Park and traffic was also raised and Mr Mohan suggested he will have another meeting to review all issues next month and requested DD  to schedule a quarterly meeting on Cubbon Park 

View from the sidelines:

A heartwarming highlight of the meeting was a post  meetimg  exchange regarding the Weekend Cubbon Dog Park. Mr. Mohan praised the facility for drawing visitors from all over Bangalore who love its effort and ambience. As an avid dog lover who recently lost his beautiful Newfoundland dog, he received heartfelt condolences from Priya and Sunita. Priya encouraged him to promote Indian dogs and she and Sunita suggested he adopt a native Indian ("Indie") dog next, sharing the "Indie Proud" message championed by the Dog Park and CJ Memorial Trust. Sunita said that Tuk-tuk, an  adorable little puppy abandoned at Cubbon Park is ready and waiting. In response, Mr. Mohan surprised and delighted the attendees by initiating a live video conference call to his Delhi office to introduce everyone to his three beautiful Indie dogs, who were seen looking right at home in his carpeted conference room. Priya recalled that former MP Rajeev Chandrashekar was also the proud parent to three Indies at Delhi and in Bangalore. Amidst chuckles, Mr. Mohan warmly agreed that aligning with the BJP's strong "Make in India" focus, everyone should come together to be #IndieProud promote "Made  in India" by adopting handsome, strong native Indian dogs. We are all set for the next Indie addition to his home!

Cubbon Park PC Mohan Meeting MP Funds 13 Jul 26.docx

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