New avatar of Shantivan to be unveiled in January

Shantivan garden in Malabar Hill, revamped by The Heritage Project, will reopen in January, featuring seven zones with diverse flora and attracting wildlife

Mumbai: Shantivan, an unassuming garden spread over 1.2 acres amidst a maze of buildings in Malabar Hill, has been given a makeover by The Heritage Project (THP), a social impact initiative backed by RPG Foundation. Over six months since June, botanists and conservationists from THP have transformed the unkempt garden managed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) into a manicured space divided into seven zones, each hosting different varieties of trees and attracting a host of birds and butterflies. The revamped garden, called ‘The Nest’, will be opened to the public in phases from Janurary.

Mumbai, India – Dec 24, 2024: A view of Shantivan Garden, in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, Dec 24, 2024. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

“We noticed that even those living around Shantivan chose to visit manicured gardens like Priyadarshini Park,” said Radha Goenka, the founder of THP, about the idea behind making the garden “more lively, rich and inviting”.

The garden already had a wide range of indigenous and exotic flora and fauna, but several plant beds were bare. “So we got to work,” said Goenka, who lives in the vicinity. Vivek Mane, a botanist, was roped in to study the landscape and provide suggestions.

“We documented the trees and plants that were already there and chose to retain most of them. We also added other varieties, ensuring a 70:30 ratio for native to exotic plants,” said Mane.

Many exotic plants were retained because they had been naturalised over time and were suited to the atmosphere despite not being native to the country, said Shruti Suresh, wildlife conservationist at THP. “We also wanted plants that flower throughout the year and in different seasons to attract butterflies, which are a sign of a thriving ecosystem,” she said.

The garden was divided into seven zones to demarcate distinct varieties of flora – indigenous, aromatic, semi-aquatic, bird, butterfly, medical and carbon-sink.

“A stream runs through the garden, so for the semi-acquatic zone, we chose hydrophytes like Alu, Zamia Neer Brahmi, and Mandukparni which thrive in water-rich environments,” said Suresh. In the bird zone, more trees with high canopies were added after which the Indian golden oriole and Paradise flycatcher – two birds that are rarely found in urban areas – were spotted.

Over 25 bird species and 20 butterfly species frequent the garden now, said Suresh and Mane. It also hosts a thriving insect and fungi population, especially around dead and fallen trees.

Pointing to the bark of a dead tree, Suresh said, “The tree likely died because canopies of trees around it crowded it out. But termites are having a field day inside its log, energising the soil and taking care of plant waste.”

As part of the transformation, also funded by CEAT and Zensar, the pathways, gazebos and amphitheater in the garden were refurbished, though their original structure was retained, said Goenka.

“We added more seats in the amphitheater and made it partially accessible for wheelchair-bound citizens. We also replaced the roofs of gazebos with a scaffolding of bamboo. But we haven’t toyed with the original structure and layout of the garden,” she said.

Malabar Hill residents who frequent the park welcomed the transformation. Shantivan had been adopted by Shri Aurobindo Society under BMC’s adopt a park scheme and yoga and meditation sessions were held there regularly till 2017, when the scheme was discontinued, said an elderly resident.

“There was no one to maintain the garden after that. Some of the infrastructure had crumbled and weeds had taken over parts of it. But it was still a beautiful space and children from the Simla Nagar slum had their art and craft classes there. It’s great news that the garden has now been enhanced and will be maintained by the RPG Foundation,” said the resident.

Starting January, the park will be opened to visitors in a phase-wise manner to ensure the plants, both new and old, grow and strike deep roots.