Hoovu Habba- Bangalore’s Hanami

A brand new initiative on Cultural Heritage- launched in Bangalore by #HeritageBeku

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Hoovu Habba- Bangalore’s Hanami

A brand New Cultural Heritage Initiative launched in Bangalore

By Heritage Beku, (in association with Dept of Horticulture and Karnataka Tourism)

Hoovu Habba- Bangalore’s Hanami

A brand New Cultural Heritage Initiative launched in Bangalore

By Heritage Beku, in association with Dept of Horticulture and Karnataka Tourism

Bangalore serial blossoming has been a unique botanical city tradition, a concept that was carefully strategized by the ultimate expert Gustav Krumbiegel, and other environmentalists like Negihal after him. It was simple – based on the Maharaja’s request , Krumbiegel strategicalls planred trees in avenues to ensure that at leastr one tree was blooming/flowering throughout at any time of the year Whether it is the rose tabebuia or the yellow trumpet flower, the purple jacaranda or the flaming red Gulmohar; Bangalore’s parks, localities and streets have gently exploded in the different colours that we love but take so much for granted. This is so unique to Bangalore. At Heritage Beku we have chosen to celebrate the ongoing, beloved but yet unnamed Bangalore tradition by our yearly event Hoovu Habba that will roll over the year, over the seasons with multiple colours and blossoming.

With the pink trumpet flower starting to burst into blushing bloom the city is already slowly transformed into a pink festival. There is so much see enjoy and experience. And to learn as well! let’s put together our experiences, let’s create spaces to appreciate this blossoming. Let’s write, let’s photograph, let’s sketch, , lets feel, et’s rhyme, but let’s not reason. Let’s look for this unique flowering moment that fills our heart with joy and with great pride, share our Bengaluru experience with the world.

Whether you are a school wanting to organize a picnic under the Pink trumpet tree, learn more about the unique origins and its biology, whether you are a team of office goers or walkers that are transfixed by the mauve blooms in Cubbon Park, a cyclist or bus passenger watching the trees pop up and speed pinkly as they passed you. Capture the moments and share it with the world. That’s great memories of a part of Bangalore that we know so well, love so much yet rarely acknowledge.

Hoovu Habba, the Festival of Flowers, here we come.

Some of the plans could be (within Covid Guidelines):

· Art Camps at Cubbon Park and Lalbagh

· Reading of poetry and essays under the tree

· Photography competition

· Talks by botanists, environmentalists, and experts

· Picnic and cycling expeditions

Contact us at heritagebeku@gmail.com for more details.

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What will Hoovu Habba look like:

A localised capture of an old 100 year tradition -# HoovuHabba, activities initiatives, visuals , photos and art and city pride around this, hashtags, tourism pushes etc.

Ideas – just thinking aloud

• · Photography

• · Memory projects

• : Coffee Table Book on Bangalore Arborial Colours

• · Book - Mystery writing around this

• · Theater Play

• · Installation - coordination with Lalbagh Flower Show

• · Cartoons

• · Reliving history

• · Haiku & poetry

• · Ensuring it’s in school and university book syllabus

• · Flower favourite teams etc – the Tabebuias vs the Gulmohurists and so on

• · Rap and songs around the Hoovu Habba

• · T-shirts and branding around blooming bangalore

• · Contests inviting schools design schools, artists to co create content n persoectives

• · Tie up with colleges and schools

• · Tree champions

• : Tree adoptions

• · Tree hugging

• · Ward level mapping and plotting of tress. Or directly mapping on open city

• · Chasing the flowers - Where is the tabebuia this year

• · DC level to locate and showcase at district level

• · Google and Facebook to track and tech support this - as a project

• · Forest dept to engage

• · Fresh plantings across newer suburbs of Bangalore

• · UNESCO support and tag for cultural heritage

• · Sister city tie ups Japan (Cherry Blossom) USA East coast (Fall Colours) Sikkim (cherry blossom)

• : Flowering Tree Mapping

Experts and stakeholders

• Botanists and experts. Krishna Yellappa Reddy etc

• Govt bureaucrats Horticulture Forests Tourism Chief Secretary, BBMP Horticulture, Dept of Kannada, DPAR , DULT

• IISC, Azim Premji University, Takshila, MCC,

• Rohini Nilekani Foundation

• UNESCO , ASI, other global organisation

• Writers n historians

• Alyia Krumbiegel, Issars, MariGowda Neginhal Sriram Aravudam

• DULT n cycle rides , walking tours

• IFA . MAP, Art Institutes and

Links

· https://www.behance.net/gallery/17900497/Serial-Blooming

· https://www.wildwanderer.com/flowering-trees/ https://www.wildwanderer.com/2-2/

· https://www.firstpost.com/india/bangalore-turns-into-a-pink-paradise-with-cherry-blossoms-all-over-see-mesmerising-pictures-10529041.html

· https://natureconnections.in/trees-that-we-love/

· https://indianexpress.com/photos/lifestyle-gallery/flowering-trees-bloom-garden-city-bengaluru-pictures-7861455/

· https://www.deccanherald.com/spectrum/history-of-bengaluru-s-blooms-1092728.html

MN Krishna Rao Park -Inputs

The Koenigsberg designed building 1941. Now a library

26 Dec 2022

Mr. Chandrasekhar

DD- BBMP Horticulture

BBMP Head Office

Bangalore 560002

Email: bbmphortddh@gmail.com

Dear Mr. Chandrashekar,

Sub: Construction at MN Krishna Rao Park

This is regarding the recent construction activity in MN Krishna Rai Park. My colleague Priya Chetty-Rajagopal had also been in touch with you and the Commissioner on this. We feel we should work closely together on natural heritage focus at BBMP Parks.

We are concerned by a few issues, and it would have been nice to have some public consultation also. We want to bring to your attention some issues with the park listed below. Most are easily actionable.

1. Entrances to the Park - There are three entrance gates to the park. At present, only the main entrance on Dewan Madhav Rao Road is open. Please keep all the entrances open during park hours. All the entrances are used by the people who come to the park.

2. Railings: re the addition of railings in a park, we are at a loss to understand the need for the railings on either side of the walking path.

3. Senior Citizen Friendly - There have been many incidents when senior citizens have tripped and fallen and had fractures on the loose pavers that were uprooted due to the roots. They were incorrectly laid close to the roots. Now, new pavers are being laid. We request you to ensure that they don’t loosen, and we request you to replace any loose pavers as part of the regular maintenance.

4. Senior citizen access - Many senior citizens have stopped coming to the park. The park hours and the rush hour on the surrounding streets coincide and senior citizens find it difficult to cross the streets during rush hour to enter the park. They get scared to cross with moving traffic. There are raised pedestrian crosswalks, but motorists don’t slow down for pedestrians. There have been a few accidents when people have tried to cross the road to go to the park. The residents on the surrounding streets and nearby areas have requested a traffic signal near the main entrance to the park on Dewan Madhav Rao Road. However, this request has not been considered. We request you to consider a traffic signal.

5. Park timings- We request you to extend the afternoon park hours by one hour so that the park can be used for additional time during daylight hours. We request you to change the park timings from 4 pm to 8 pm to 3 pm to 8 pm.

6. Cutting of trees - Lately, a lot of trees in the park are being cut. We request you to stop unnecessary cutting of trees. This is a beautiful park with natural amenities like trees, shrubs and plants. This natural beauty should be preserved.

7. Benches and dustbins - We request you to please replace the benches and dustbins that were removed.

8. Rose garden near Sri. M. N. Krishna Rao Statue - There are hardly any roses now. We request you to plant some rose bushes.

9. Children’s park - We congratulate you on the new additions and equipment for the children’s park. It is being used very well. We request you to also add play equipment for differently abled kids.

10. Library - We congratulate you on converting the beautiful building designed by the famous architect Otto Koenigsberger into a public library. It is benefiting a lot of people, but it must be maintained.

Thank you for your time and considering our requests. Look forward to your response and action.

Yours Sincerely,

Laxmi Nagaraj

Urban Planner & Architect

CC: Mr. Tushar Girinath, BBMP Commissioner

CC: Mr. Rakesh Singh, UCS, UDD

Links:

• 
  

• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/bengalurus-mn-krishna-rao-park-designed-in-1940s-exclusively-for-women-and-children/articleshow/49577444.cms?from=mdr

• https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/concrete-galore-the-transformation-of-bengaluru/article66005893.ece

• https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2019/feb/27/m-n-krishna-rao-park-pavillion-now-a-library-move-irks-family-1944212.html

• https://aturquoisecloud.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/ladies-special-the-mn-krishna-rao-park/

Recent Development

Due to the prompt attention to his matter by Priya Chetty-Rajagopal and her letters and telephone calls to the Horticulture Department and various agencies, Mr. Chandrasekhar, DD- BBMP Horticulture, promptly telephoned Heritage Beku regarding the above issue. He discussed our letter and concerns in detail with us. We thank him for his prompt attention to this matter. Here is what was discussed:

- The opening of all the entrances and extending the park hours in the afternoon will be reviewed

- A signal at the entrance on Dewan Madhav Rao Road for safe pedestrian crossing will be reviewed with the appropriate agencies

- Growing of appropriate plants in the Rose Garden area will be reviewed

- The railings were installed to make the park more inclusive to senior citizens.

Comment: The railings seem a little high. It would have been nice if the railing height was a little lower to meet the standard height for railings.

Comments/ Thoughts on Cantonment Railway Station Redevelopment

Some thoughts regarding the design for the Cantonment Railway Station Redevelopment.....

- The historical significance of the station and the heritage building are not important components of the redevelopment. The historic significance has not been given the importance it deserves.

- There are many excellent examples of redevelopment projects that have retained some important aspects of the historical structure (like an entrance, façade, portion of a building, roof etc.) along with the redevelopment. Here, no aspect of the heritage structure is retained or incorporated in the redevelopment design

- The context of the station (local context, materials, native landscaping, sustainability etc.) has not been given any consideration

- There is no information on whether public participation was considered for the redevelopment project

- The need to provide modern amenities and facilities is understandable, but it is not clear whether all the proposed amenities and facilities are need based

- It is not clear whether efforts have been made to preserve the existing trees