After days of deliberations between the government and the Shiv Sena, Bal Thackeray’s makeshift memorial has finally been removed from Shivaji Park. Though debate still continues over whether a garden should be allowed within the maidan, it is heartening that the government managed to stare down the Sena.

First of all, the maidan and its periphery are no place for a memorial of any kind. Of late, one has seen Shivaji Park in the eye of controversy with so many functions, events, rallies and speeches all with no connection to sport being held there. Even though there have been appeals to keep Mumbai’s maidans for sport, given the paucity of space in the city, these become an inevitable ground for huge gatherings. So, it is up to the govt to do whatever it can to preserve maidans for outdoor recreation. Coaches and young cricketers have often rued how the ground and the pitches are dug up periodically to erect scaffoldings for all kinds of rallies, ruining playing and practice conditions.