‘Name this park after Ratan Tata’

Excerpts from the petition state: Breach Candy has always been more than just a pin code on Mumbai’s map. It is a neighbourhood that pulses with character. It’s a place where mornings begin with birdsong, and evenings end with neighbours exchanging smiles under tall trees. At the centre of this rhythm was Tata Garden, not just a garden but a part of our identity. A taxi driver needed no address, just two words — Tata Garden.

Emotional connection

With its canopied shade, gentle walking tracks, stone benches warmed by the sun, and a cool breeze through the leaves, Tata Garden gave us what the rest of the city often forgot — space to breathe.

(From left) Dr Nilesh Baxi at the Tata Garden of old; Breach Candy local Rajesh Dahiya; Breach Candy Residents Forum member Minal Kapadia 

The petition then goes on to add about the Coastal Road. It says, “The Coastal Road interchange, meant to ease traffic, unfortunately, sliced our beloved Tata Garden in two. We supported development but came together and requested authorities to retain the heritage in its best form. Our MLA, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, stood with us, and we successfully protected the green cover and a large part of the Tata Garden.”

Support needed

It asked for “support” and added, “Tata Gardens, once again, needs a parent, someone to nurture and provide affectionate care to each piece of green in this green lung of Mumbai's city. Because gardens are not just plots of land. They are lungs for the city, hearts for the community, and anchors for our memories.”

Breach Candy residents supporting this petition and people from the vicinity have united with one emotional appeal: Can the Tatas return with support and rename it 'Ratan Tata Garden' to honour the legacy of India’s most beloved corporate leader — Ratan Tata? Let this space, which has proudly borne the Tata name for decades, be reborn as ‘Ratan Tata Garden’, a tribute to the man whose values have touched every Indian life with grace and humility.

To wrap up, the petition states that supporters want to make the garden “a benchmark public garden of Mumbai, one that other neighbourhoods look to with inspiration. To honour the values of sustainability, inclusion, and legacy that the Tata name represents.”

Let Ratan Tata Garden “become a green refuge amidst the city’s chaos, a place that whispers ‘we care’,” the petition further says.

The residents of Breach Candy and ‘Lovers of Mumbai’s Green Heart’ say that this matters because “this is not just about one park. It is about what kind of city we want to live in. Let Tata Garden be a sign of what’s possible. Let it rise again — not just for Breach Candy, but for Mumbai.” This, they say with a flourish, “is a story of a neighbourhood’s love, a corporate house’s care and a city’s will to breathe again.”

Lost space

Rajesh Dahiya, who started this petition, said, “We have lost our original Tata Garden, which was approximately 8000 sq m, a green oasis in buzzing Breach Candy. Today, it has been split into parts.” Dahiya, who is chairman of Vaibhav building, which is the proverbial stone’s throw away from Tata Garden, stated, “We too understand that change is necessary. Yet it is, we believe, entirely possible to restore this garden to its former glory. We still have scores of old trees remaining, and more can be planted.” 

Dahiya said if the Tatas become custodians once again of this cherished space, it will be a very good feature for the neighbourhood. “We will be so proud to have a garden named after the late great Ratan Tata.”

Tardeo resident Dr Nilesh Baxi, who used to walk at the Tata Garden daily for 26 years, said, “First of all, there was no need to touch it. The authorities promised people a garden which is at least thrice the size of the original Tata Garden, but they have recreated Tata Garden, which is not even one-fourth of the original garden, and that too, divided into three parts.”

The original

Minal Kapadia, from the Breach Candy Residents Forum (BCRF), said when asked about the impact the petition will have, “We hope the Tata group will know that we really want them to take over as they had originally. We trust Tatas and its legacy to get us our iconic Tata garden back to its original form. We residents have already planted 50 trees at Tata Garden on World Environment Day recently, with the help of the BMC’s Garden Department, ‘D’ ward. This petition is the only way ahead.” The petition link is:  https://chng.it/P555hqHcFy

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