With the temperature dipping in the city, it's a wonderful time to explore the outdoors. And, as soon as we felt the nip, the first thing we did was to head to Mumbai's forest-themed park in Malad West
With the temperature dipping in the city, it's a wonderful time to explore the outdoors. And, as soon as we felt the nip, the first thing we did was to head to Mumbai's forest-themed park in Malad West. The park boasts of 3,000 varieties of trees, a butterfly garden, a lotus pond and a jogging park that covers a circumference of 6.5 acres. So, one weekend morning we gathered friends and their kids and took off.
ADVERTISEMENT
One would think that Malad is too far away for Bandra's denizens to merely check out a park in. But, we are starved of opens spaces and if we can travel to shop, then walking in a forested open space within Mumbai certainly seemed worth it to hail a cab and reach this verdant patch of green. Our destination is located on the banks of the Malad Creek. This area, we are told, was originally a garbage dumping ground, which was converted into acres of green. We have carried our badminton rackets, packed in a picnic breakfast and the dense green view from the outside already has us all perked up.
But our entry isn't smooth. At the gates, we are told by the security that food, cameras or play equipment will not be allowed inside the garden. In this age of selfies and camera phones, it is hard to understand the camera bit. The kids are crestfallen over the confiscation of badminton rackets. There is a tiny argument over entry fee too, but when we remind them (security) that the BMC no longer charges for entering public parks, we are let in without any fee. We spotted an old signboard however, that displayed rates ('5 for adults, '3 for senior citizens, free for kids)
Before we step into the garden, we spot a widened indented space with globular structures of varied size. It is an installation of a solar system with nine planets made of stone placed firmly on the ground. The park has been clearly divided for senior citizens, active adults and for children. The jogging track is long and winds in and around the park. There are stairs you can take which make the park seem as if there are levels to it — the upper park and the lower park. We spot multiple varieties of butterflies and dragonflies around us; there are also a large number and variety of palm trees. There are plenty of places to sit and more than one playing area with safe equipment
for children.
With a name like Forest Theme Park, perhaps we were expecting something along the lines of Mahim Nature Park. It is pretty. It is big. It is green and well-manicured. There must be a large number of trees here, but I wouldn't bet that there are 3,000 varieties, as promoted.
Safety tip: It is a sprawling space. Kids need to be accompanied by parents.
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, current affairs from Mumbai, local news, crime news and breaking headlines here
Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
