You are visiting Bangalore and want to spend a few hours outside with your family or friends, preferably in a clean and green environment. Or are an ‘old’ Bangalorean who wants to relive her/his childhood. Where do you go? Cubbon Park, a lovely lung space in the heart of the city is a great option. And the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, a place for children inside the one hundred and forty year old park is a lot of fun too. Spread over 12.5 acres, it has a toy train, swings, slides, boating and a lot of trees and grassy patches for children and adults to relax and play. Small wonder that the Bal Bhavan continues to be one of the chosen locations for Bangaloreans across the income spectrum to have some time out especially with the young.
“They enjoyed themselves thoroughly and refused to leave. It is a nice place for kids”, said Yunuen Perez Veretti, (my Mexican friend who lives in southern United States) after she spent an afternoon at the Bal Bhavan with her young sons during their first trip to Bangalore last year.
Facilities and Activities
Established in 1968, the Bal Bhavan was converted to a non-profit society in 1985 to enable better resource mobilization. Promoting recreation and nurturing creativity among children amidst nature , the enclosure has ample space for learning and enjoyment. It organizes various free programmes involving art, craft, theatre, films and ecology. It also has summer and annual Kalashree and Balashree award camps for children in co-ordination with the National Bal Bhavan in New Delhi. And there is a free entry dance and music contest for children almost every Saturday and Sunday between 5.00 and 6.00 pm open to individuals and institutions. Participants and winners of these events receive cash incentives and certificates. Importantly, all these programmes are funded by the BBS and through state government grants. Further, there are continuous efforts to encourage children from rural areas to explore and exhibit their talents.
Renovated in 2004, the Bal Bhavan Society (BBS) celebrated its silver jubilee in end 2010. It functions from 10.00 am – 6.00 pm each day (extended to 7.00 pm on Sundays and public holidays), and is closed on Mondays, the second Tuesday of every month and the Tuesday following any government holiday. With an annual budget of Rs. 118 lakhs, the Bal Bhavan has an entrance fee of Rs. 5 for adults. This and the rule that adults must be accompanied by children was introduced two years ago mainly to discourage college students from spending their class hours at the Bal Bhavan. It also offers its beautiful cottage like activity huts, amphitheatre and turret wall to private and government educational, non-governmental and other institutions and organizations for conducting events for children and has buses to transport kids.
Apart from the play area, the Bal Bhavan has an auditorium,, a restaurant, an ice cream kiosk and a small snack stall. A skating rink and an open air theatre were added during the last one year. A traffic park to educate children about road rules in an entertaining manner is under construction. There is a science park consisting of life size models of the periodic table, telecommunication equipment, structure of the human DNA et al. Inaugurated in end November 2010, this section is open only to high school students accompanied by teachers at present. The toy train which operates every twenty or thirty minutes based on the occupancy, can seat around twenty people. A ride lasts for ten minutes and costs Rs. 10 per adult and Rs. 5 for a child. The price and capacity for boating is the same.
Playing their heart out
Leaving Bal Bhavan train station
Sing and dance under the sky
Skate amidst the trees
For the reel effect
Celebrate your child’s birthday here
Land ahoy!
A ‘natural’ science park
Varun Patil, a resident of Jayamahal currently studying in New Delhi was there with his young cousin. “I come here whenever I am in Bangalore as it has been part of my life since childhood”, he shared. According to him, there used to be larger crowds even on a weekday afternoon. As per the Bal Bhavan authorities, the numbers vary based on the day and season. During Namma Jathre, the Festival of Freedom that a coalition of NGO’s and individuals organized at the Bal Bhavan in 2006 and 2007, we observed that there were around seven thousand visitors on a Sunday.
While the eateries at the Bal Bhavan are run by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), the Bal Bhavan is an autonomous body under the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) of the state government. According to a source who did not wish to be named, the BBS earns Rs. 45,000 from the KSTDC every month for its outlets. And the BBS pays Rs. 4000 per load of garbage to the BBMP. The gardeners, janitors, drivers and other staff are employees of the BBS. The management team consists of a Chairperson, Secretary and an Administrative Officer assisted by other officers who are from the WCD department.
“We want to make Bangalore Bal Bhavan as a model for Karnataka which has Bal Bhavans in various taluks and districts. We agree that there are lapses but we are doing our best to sustain the interest of the general public and children and require their support”, said Shashikala Shetty, Secretary of the Bal Bhavan. According to her, plans are underway to make the Bal Bhavan accessible to the disabled, starting with the toy train.
Although the Bal Bhavan seems clean overall, citizens complain that the restrooms are unhygienic and the surroundings are dirty. However, one of the members of the maintenance staff of the Bal Bhavan stated that people litter the area despite the presence of many garbage bins.
“Itne door se hum bacchon ke liye hee aaye (We have come from afar only for the children)”, were the words of Prema, a middle aged lady from Yelahanka who was on a picnic with her immediate and extended family. “Pehle aksar aate the lekin is baar bahut din baad aaye (We used to come here frequently but it has been a long time now)”, she added. So next time you feel like venturing out with the lilttle ones at home or elsewhere, consider the Jawahar Bal Bhavan in the heart of the city!
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