Sunder Nursery: Splendid park where past and future meet
Saturday February 24 2018
India Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu (left) and His Highness the Aga Khan unveil the plaque, marking the inauguration of the Sunder Nursery, the new 90-acre park in New Delhi on February 21, 2018. PHOTO | NMG
The Aga Khan and the Vice President of India on Wednesday officially inaugurated a 90-acre city park in New Delhi.
The park was built through a public-private partnership between the Aga Khan Development Network and the government.
The inauguration ceremony at Sunder Nursery was attended by senior government officials, ambassadors and diplomats, as well as leaders of civil society and residents of the neighbourhood.
“These projects were designed to honour the past, while also serving the future,” said the Aga Khan. “And it is with the future in mind that we now dedicate the Sunder Nursery as one of the world’s great public parks — open to all for recreation, for contemplation, for education, and for inspiration.”
Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu expressed appreciation for the contributions made by institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which is chaired by the Aga Khan.
Sunder Nursery, once used as a nursery by the British, was transformed over the past decade into a city park for the people of Delhi by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and other partners. These include the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Central Public Works Department, Archaeological Survey of India, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Work on the landscape was supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation.
The vice president described the project as a model of public-private partnership, combining the elements of “nature, culture and the future” as a “great addition to the capital.”
The Aga Khan said Sunder Nursery was an example of the importance of open, green spaces as part of a healthy urban landscape, with aesthetic, recreational and economic potential, as a catalyst for tourism, science, education, sustainable community development and sport.
Over 400 lorries of construction rubble were removed and 20,000 saplings planted. Some 15 monuments have been conserved by AKTC at Sunder Nursery, drawing attention to a unique ensemble of 16th Century garden tombs, a number of which have received World Heritage designation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
Having served as a plant nursery for 100 years, Sunder Nursery is now Delhi’s newest botanical garden and the city’s first arboretum, with almost 300 tree species.
This is the largest number found in any of Delhi’s parks. A 20-acre micro-habitat zone is expected to be an important education facility and attracts many of the 500,000 school children who each year visit the adjoining Humayun’s Tomb, also restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
Designed by the renowned landscape architect, Prof M. Shaheer (the late), the new city park encompasses formal gardens and informal settings for families to enjoy, including ponds, lakes, nursery beds, sunken gardens, a flower showcase, orchards, walking paths, seating and pavilions.
A sunken amphitheatre has been created to hold cultural events and festivals. A facilities wing will include rooms for lectures and film screenings, food kiosks, a souvenir shop and multi-purpose halls for training programmes.
The grand central vista, which is over 500 metres long, follows the path of the 16th Century Grand Trunk Road, connecting the entrance of the Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site with the 16th Century Azimganj Serai to the north.
Creation of new green spaces and botanical gardens will constitute a significant improvement in people’s living conditions and the quality of their environment. The new leisure spaces and meeting places are expected to attract residents and visitors.