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Delhi-based actors Rajesh Tailang, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya react to Sunder Nursery video: Delhiites often lack civic sense
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which manages and maintains the heritage site, has also shared what exactly happened that day. Scroll to read more.
Days after the video showing visitors jumping into a pond at Delhi’s Sunder Nursery went viral, the public response has only grown louder — and sharper. And now, it has celebrities like Rajesh Tailang and Sanjeeta Bhattacharya weighing in on the issue, too.
The Instagram Reel, captioned “SWIMMING POOL IN SUNDER NURSERY,” captured several groups of adults and children wading and splashing in one of the heritage site's water bodies during rainfall on June 29 (Sunday). Posted on Instagram on July 1, the clip has now clocked over 399k views and 5k comments, and continues to draw widespread criticism.
Actor Rajesh Tailang, who regards Delhi as home — having gone to the National School of Drama here — called out the behaviour. “I’ve often visited Sundar Nursery with close friends, and each visit has been a calming experience, surrounded by nature and history. It inspires a sense of responsibility to preserve both. But this recent incident reflects not just insensitivity, but also reminds me, sadly, how lacking we Delhiites often are when it comes to civic sense," the NSD alumnus tells us.
Delhi-based actor and singer Sanjeeta Bhattacharya also echoed this sentiment and questioned the absence of intervention: “As long as people aren't breaking rules, things should be fine. [But in this case] did they (the people in the video) not know this was not allowed? If so, was security not there at the time?”
The site is managed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. According to the management, the unauthorised activity lasted for 17 minutes. Architect Ratish Nanda, the trust's CEO, informs: “Sunder Nursery boasts of several water bodies. However, at none is public access to the water permitted. On Sunday, 29 June, a group of visitors ignored the clear signs prohibiting entry into the water and, with the onset of rains, entered the water channel at the Gardens of Delight for a total of 17 minutes from 8.02pm to 8.19pm. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and the fountains, lights and other electric equipment in the water channel were not damaged. We are grateful that many visitors aided the guards in ensuring that the inappropriate and dangerous activity was brought to a halt within minutes."
As the video continues to circulate, many social media users have expressed fear that such incidents could result in tighter rules or reduced access to one of Delhi’s most beloved public spaces. And while the rain may have invited a moment of indulgence, the city’s growing backlash is clear: Sunder Nursery is a heritage site, not a water park
