Group reading at Lalbagh threatens flora and fauna, says dept; draws flak

Sowmya Raju | NT

Bengaluru: A reading community in Bengaluru's Lalbagh Botanical Garden has faced an unexpected setback, with the Deputy Director of the Horticulture Department issuing a directive to halt their activities.

The directive states that the community's activities are not in line with Departmental guidelines. Lalbagh Reads, which has been gathering in the garden for over a year, is dismayed by the decision.

They argue that their activities are peaceful and do not harm the garden's flora and fauna. They believe that reading amidst nature is a beneficial experience for both people and the environment.

The curator of an Instagram handle @lalbaghreads posted on their page, “This update has come to us very suddenly and on short notice. We, as a community and individuals, never intended to harm the sentiments of anyone at Lalbagh, including other citizens or the Department.”

While the Kar nataka Horticulture department argues that Lalbagh is a botanical garden and not a public park which prohibits Group activities and picnics, @lalbaghreads is not is not a group activity.

They argue that they are individuals who come to read in one part of the garden. When News Trail tried to contact the curators of @lalbaghreads, they mentioned they would be meeting on Sunday morning at 10 am as usual and try to follow the instructions by the Deputy Director individually, readers can still visit Lalbagh, find a spot anywhere and read by themselves.

They said, “The Deputy Director of the Lalbagh Horticulture Department has ordered us to immediately cease our activities, as they are not permitted by the Department. This directive is based on a complaint from a citizen who visited Lalbagh last Sunday and saw our group sitting on the grass and reading. The citizens believed that our presence there as a group would damage the growth of the natural flora and fauna. We are deeply disappointed by this decision, as there is no mention of such a regulation in the garden premises.”

The community's concerns have been echoed by many others, who have taken to social media to express their outrage at the ban. Many people have argued that the ban is unnecessary and that the community's activities are beneficial to the garden.

Leo Saldanha a public interest activist said, “Is it a crime to read books in Lalbagh of Bengaluru? Is it a crime to read books collectively in Lalbabh, or Cubbon Park?” and highly condemned the move by the Karnataka horticulture department.

Previously… In April of this year, the Horticulture Department issued revised rules of conduct for Cubbon Park. These rules perpetuate a deeply colonial and authoritarian mindset about how park visitors should behave.

They prohibit playing games, eating, conducting theatre performances, couples engaging in "obscene" behaviour, and gathering in groups. The department claims that these rules are necessary to ensure the safety of couples seated on the ground from snakes and insects.