Rani Bagh, lost in transition

Ever noticed the two giant baobab trees that greet you as you walk through the Italianate triplearched gateway at the entrance of Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo often referred to as Rani Bagh or Byculla Zoo Botanist Marselin R Almeida who completed a floral survey of Rani Bagh in October 2010 believes one of them is as old as 500 years The Japanese Garden named so because of its landscaping style is one of the 100 other gardens within Rani Bagh Pic CourtesyShubhada Nikharge Rani Bagh home to 3213 trees of 286 different species and 853 plant species was set up as a botanical garden in 1862 ldquoDesigned with Londonrsquos Kew Gardens in mind the Rani Bagh then known as the Victoria Gardens allowed enthusiasts to study a wide range of native and exotic treesrdquo says Katie Bagli trustee of the Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Action Committee SRBBGAC as she shows us around the gardens In November 2012 Rani Bagh turned 150 years old but it is no longer recognised as the botanical garden it was first envisioned as ldquoIt is officially referred to as a lsquopublicrsquo garden and zoo by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai MCGM nowrdquo complains Shubhada Nikharge coeditor Rani Bagh 150 Years and a trustee of the committee Katie Bagli and Shubhada Nikharge u00a0flip through their book Rani Bagh 150 Years PicNeha Parekh Good olrsquo days In 1835 the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of Western India decided to set up a botanical garden so their studies could acquire a more ldquopractical defined and popular character than it had hitherto enjoyedrdquo as city historian Dr Mariam Dossal writes in Rani Bagh 150 Years The park initially located at Sewri was also meant to serve as a recreational zone for the cityrsquos inhabitants ldquoImpressive monuments like the Victoria and Albert now Bhau Daji Lad Museum the clock tower and the triumphal arch added to the stature of the Gardensrdquo write coeditors Nikharge and Hutokshi Rustomfram in the book ldquoParties which went on until the wee hours of the night were also held in the parkrdquo Nikharge who sifted through newspaper archives and several government records during her research tells usduring our walk An aerial view of Rani Bagh Pic CourtesyJehangir Sorabjee Lady Catherine Frere inaugurated the Victoria Gardens on November 19 1862 the very day the foundation stone for the museum was laid by her husband Sir Bartle Frere Governor of Bombay It wasnrsquot until 1890 that about 15 acres were added to the existing park to accommodate animals and incorporate a zoo the book states Saving Rani Bagh Today Rani Bagh is spread over 53 acres and has approximately 100 smaller gardens within Schoolchildren and families still come here in droves mdash but no doubt the unfortunate star attraction are the caged animals SRBBGAC was formed in 2007 when the MCGM announced its plan to revamp Rani Bagh to turn it into a hitech international zoo ldquoTheir plan involved a lot of excavation and construction It would mean uprooting centuriesold treesrdquo says Nikharge Fellow volunteers at BNHS Hutoxi Arethna and Dr Sheila Tanna joined hands with Nikharge Rustomfram and Bagli to set up the committee to fight for the botanical garden Although the initial revamp plan has been scrapped giving way to a more sensitive one their fight to save the botanical gardens isnrsquot over ldquoWe want them to label and provide information about the treesrdquo says Nikharge ldquoAfter much perseverance we finally got them to number the trees It would be great if they set up tree appreciation walks a nature interpretation centre and organise activities encouraging the conservation of naturerdquo adds Bagli who had tried very hard to get a special commemoration stamp made to celebrate 150 years of Rani Bagh last year ldquoUnfortunately the MCGM didnrsquot send out the proposal in timerdquo she rues Donrsquot miss these trees Trustees of Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Action Committee Shubhada Nikharge who comes armed with her precious Nikon camera and Katie Bagli whose next childrenrsquos book is going to be on plants point out to their favourite trees in Rani Bagh Cajuput Poke your finger into the bark and yoursquoll be surprised to see how soft it is Krishnarsquos Buttercup Legend has it that Lord Krishna used the leaves of this mutant banyan tree to scoop out butter Sundari Tree Maharashtra has only one of these mangrove trees and it is in Rani Bagh Ghost Tree This tree is named so because its fluorescent white bark looks ghostly in the dark Baobab Found at the entry of gardens one of the two baobabs is believed to be 500 years oldu00a0