For residents of Mylapore, a familiar park reopens and memories come flooding back

“This is a park that is close to my heart because my grandmother took me here when I was a child, and now I am bringing my children here,” says a long-time resident of Mylapore, Suganya. P, as she watches her children play at the newly renovated Nageswara Rao Park on Luz Church Road in Mylapore. Her mind wanders back to 2002 when an elephant-shaped stone slide made the park a childhood favourite. “This is the only big park in the neighbourhood, and we were thrilled when it reopened. But the children’s play area could have included a skating rink, especially since the park is so large,” she adds.

The residents of Mylapore had been eagerly awaiting this October for the return of the neighbourhood’s favourite third-space. It was renovated and reopened at a cost of ₹8.49 crore, with a 1.6 km-long footpath with 28 varieties of plants and a 7,532 sq.ft. children’s play area among other things. For Class IX student Sarvin R., the reopening means he can finally use his kid-scooter out for a spin within the vast park’s confines. “Looks like I will finally be spending more time at the park after finishing my homework,” he says. Ms Suganya readily nods, adding that with children’s screen time reaching an all-time high, the reopening could not have come at a better time.

Two other school students from the neighbourhood, Yogesh M. and Ajay H., comment that they had to go to Chintadripet to play badminton, but now the park itself has an outdoor badminton court. “We also use the gym here in the morning and come to play in the evening after school,” they say. Taking a stroll around the park, one could also spot many elderly people walking along its trail. For another resident Mahesh S., he had been eagerly waiting for the park to return to its glory as he had dearly missed his walks everyday.

While the excitement was evident on people’s faces, some residents preferred the old park and its familiarity. “My children were thrilled to come back and play here as they used to before its renovation but now the children’s area looks extremely limited in terms of play equipment. There could also be more fitness facilities for women,” says Smrithi B. She adds that her family might eventually return to a park at CIT colony which is much smaller than Nageswara Rao Park. “But it has more play equipment for children,” she adds.