Pista vista: Lalbagh compound gets a pretty new look

Running 5 km around the heritage gardens, they are painted a cool pastel green

The exterior walls of the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens are getting a makeover.

India Rising Trust, a city-based NGO has teamed up with the horticulture department of Karnataka to give the walls a new look.

The initiative, called Lalbagh Pradakshine Project, has transformed the 5 km stretch in five months. The project is about 90 per cent complete, shares Arun Pai, coordinator, India Rising Trust.

The stone walls encompassing the green wealth of the garden are now adorned with a pastel shade of green, with a simple geometric pattern running down the middle. It also features new insignia for the heritage park and pictures of flowering plants located within the garden premises.

The non-profit began the makeover project in March, along with the horticulture department and the BBMP.

“To start with, we had to rescue the exterior walls. Although on the inside, Lalbagh is in pristine condition, the exterior walls and the abutting footpath were a disgrace. The walls were completely defaced. We teamed up with BBMP and inspected the exterior of Lalbagh for garbage blind spots, urination spots, and damaged footpaths. We worked on getting rid of these spots. This process is still on,  but 95 per cent of the 5 km perimeter is now clean and good for walking,” says Pai.

In the second phase, the walls were prepped for painting. They vary in height — from 8 ft to 15 ft — and had to be stripped of old plaster and peeling paint. Some portion of the walls were also broken by falling branches. After this was fixed, the painting process began.

Aniruddha Abhyankar, chief design officer, India Rising Trust, explains the rationale behind the design: “We chose the soothing green light colour as it complements the abundance of darker shades of green popping out from behind the compound. It is pleasing to the eye.

"On top of this, you’ll find a white geometric pattern of diamond shapes running across the middle of all the walls. The aim of the geometric pattern is to create a sense of uniformity. With the walls being of varying lengths, it is difficult to create a sense of consistency. A geometric pattern like this helps. We have also added a darker green border as the edges of the walls are usually more prone to wear and tear,” he tells Metrolife.

The geometric pattern allows for easy maintenance. The walls also feature a newly designed insignia for Lalbagh — with a line drawing of the famous glass house.  

On the walls you will also find digital prints of trees and plants found in Lalbagh.

“These are durable stickers that can withstand the monsoon and other climatic conditions. Along with the prints, you also find the names of the plant species mentioned in English and Kannada.

The origin of the species will also be mentioned. We are planning to include prints of some birds that can be found in the park. These prints will match the aesthetics of the wall, and won’t be jarring,” he says. About 200 volunteers and 10 professional painters have been involved in the project.

“We made it a point to get citizens involved in the transformation, to bring in a sense of ownership and accountability.

There has been a dramatic and positive change in public attitude towards the wall over the past few months — urination and garbage dumping is almost entirely eliminated, and pedestrian footfalls on the footpaths have increased,” says Pai.