The Maidan, located in the center of Kolkata, is known as the city’s lungs. The lush green space is also referred to as the Brigade Parade Ground. Spread in a total area of 988 acres (4.0 Kilometers), it is the largest urban park in Asia. The Maidan brings life to the city and serves as a venue for many sporting grounds as well as famous architectural works.
The grounds include the famous cricketing ground The Eden Gardens, football stadiums, the Kolkata Race Course, and so on. Architectural works like the Victoria Memorial, Statue of Lord Curzon, and many more reward international recognition of the place. Previously, owned by The Indian Army, this land has a great geographical prospect. The Maidan stretches from the Raj Bhavan on the Esplanade (North) to the National Library on Belvedere Road in Alipore, in the south. The expansive field stretches from the Hooghly River (West) to the Victoria Memorial in the east. The army's Eastern Zonal Command is housed in the historic Fort William. The soft grasses and picturesque scenery draw a significant number of tourists from all over the world to sit and relax with their friends and family in the clean and fresh air amid the city's traffic.
HISTORY OF MAIDAN: COLONIAL ERA
Following the decisive win in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the British had a solid foothold in Kolkata and began construction on the larger and more fortified Fort William. When the building was finished in 1773, extra troops were sent to the position. As the British Raj expanded, the aristocracy needed more open space to patrol, parade, and spend their leisure time. Moreover, the settlement of ‘Kalikata’ was primarily the Britishers' trading hub. Thus, they had to tear down the marshy woods crisscrossed by creeks and fill up the ways to level the soil to remedy the problem. This gave rise to the Esplanade throughout time (the natives called it Maidan). The Esplanade area provided a green haven for foreigners, which they guarded against natives. Ordinary people were not permitted to enjoy the grass. There are numerous reports of native boys and men being beaten by soldiers for simply entering or playing in the field. To some extent, this was responsible for instilling nationalist sentiment among native Bengalis.
Maidan and its surroundings
As previously stated, Maidan is located in a wealthy neighborhood. Despite all of the British Colonial construction in Calcutta, the land remained unhinged. It is rumored that the Britishers used to protect these lands from the natives. During colonization, portions of Esplanade's land were borrowed to construct the now-famous monuments. Starting with the Government House in the north (established in 1803 as the Viceroy's residence, now Raj Bhavan) and ending with the Presidency General Hospital (now SSKM Hospital) in the south (established in 1970). In the years that followed, the Ochterlony monument (Sahid Minar) was constructed. The Victoria Memorial was built in 1921 after the famous St. Paul's Cathedral was consecrated in 1874. Maidan was the name given to whatever is left, and these are its environs.
Eco-Friendly Neighborhood
Though the colonization cut short the vast expanse of land, the lungs' primary function was unaffected.
The lush green and eco-friendly gardens that surround the monument from all four sides can captivate visitors. In the memory of Queen Victoria, Lord Curzon envisioned the building of a memorial and gardens.
He said: "Let us, therefore, have a building, stately, spacious, monumental, and grand, to which every newcomer in Calcutta will turn, to which all the resident population, European and Native, will flock, where all classes will learn the lessons of history and see revived before their eyes the marvels of the past.”
Aside from the museum and the Victorian art gallery, the lawns draw a large number of nature lovers. The gardens cover 64 acres of land and are cared for by a team of 21 gardeners. To provide visitors with fresh air, the Memorial Garden has approximately 2800 trees of 80 different species. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Victoria Memorial, a public nature trail has been established. It began on March 7, 2022, and will be held every Monday between 3 pm and 4 pm to teach visitors about the cultural heritage's flora and fauna. The Victoria Memorial trail is a call to celebrate greenery and to spread the message that Kolkata's greener side should be preserved.
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India (near Maidan). In 1864, the stadium was built between Babughat and Fort William. It is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India, as well as the third-largest in the world. As per the sources provided by NDTV, the Eden Garden Stadium pledged in 2018 to manage waste scientifically during IPL matches (Indian Premier League). The KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) management installed an organic waste convertor machine to deal with the massive amount of wet/dry garbage that gets collected after the match. This long-term sustainable movement was launched by KKR co-owner and actor Juhi Chawala, Managing Director and CEO Venky Mysore, and head coach Jacques Kallis. The organic waste converter machine will convert food waste into organic mature, which will then be given to the Cricket Association Board for use on the Eden Garden grounds. The KKR management has also taken other steps to make its surroundings more environmentally sustainable, such as eliminating the use of plastic bags on various occasions. They even switched from plastic flags to cloth flags and recyclable sticks to eliminate the use of single-use plastics in the future.
Starting in Fort William, the area is brightened by roadside play areas and parks. It has achieved an ideal balance between nature and concrete city life. Local environmentalists frequently organize cleanliness drives and awareness campaigns to keep the area clean and fresh. People of all ages can be seen here playing, relaxing, romancing, and all over having a good time.
GREEN MAIDAN
With the collapse of the British Raj, the Indian legislature assumed control of the subcontinent. Some parts of the Maidan are still used by the Indian Army for parades, where the Britishers once marched. The grounds were made available for commoners to play and relax beneath the ancient trees. The Green Maidan has served as a focal point for a variety of social gatherings, including political rallies and the internationally acclaimed Kolkata Book Fair. Though December is the most popular month to visit Kolkata's Greenland, people also stroll through the gardens in the mornings of early spring and evenings/nights of summer. One of the key factors in attracting such a large footfall is the location's safety and integrity. The velvet-soft grass often provides respite from the city's madness.
HOW COVID-19 HAS AFFECTED THE LUNGS OF KOLKATA?
The Coronavirus Pandemic has altered our lives in every way imaginable. Since the first confirmed case in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the world has seen a significant decrease in human life but a momentous improvement in marine, land, and avian flora and fauna. While the entire world was sealed from the outside, the environment had regained its magical aura within the first few weeks of lockdown.
On March 24, 2020, a nationwide lockdown was imposed in India. Everything else, except essential services, was prohibited from moving within the country. GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions were negligible due to reduced consumption of fossil fuels, which drastically altered the country's ecological balance. The AQI (Air Quality Index) of metropolitan cities registered an incredible change in air quality as all personal/public transportation movement was hampered. Noise pollution was also reduced as a result of the country's restrictions.
While the world's reserves, sanctuaries, and water bodies were satisfied with no human intervention, these tourist spot management organizations were concerned about a new wave of economic depression. The environmental impact of Covid-19 in Kolkata has a similar list of pros and cons.
Apart from all the other famous sites in Kolkata, Maidan draws a significant number of nature lovers to the city's centre. The grasses in Maidan had turned lush green during the first few weeks of lockdown in 2020 when mother nature bestowed her blessing all over India. Even the birds couldn't stop chirping during the lockdown days because the air was so clean and fresh.
The advantages and disadvantages of a situation are two sides of the same coin. People couldn't stop themselves from leaving their homes after the lockdown was partially lifted in August 2020. As a result, surgical masks and other self-precautionary items were widely discarded. In an interview with the Times of India, a PWD (Public Work Department) official stated that the workers were overburdened by having to sweep such a large pile of litter every day. The litter on the Maidan ground has changed its color from green to grey.
HOW TO REACH MAIDAN?
The bus is the quickest and cheapest method to get from Howrah to Maidan. Depending on availability, eco-friendly modes of transportation such as metro, tram, and hand rickshaw can also be used to get to the location.
CONCLUSION
People must choose eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyles to protect the city's lungs and the rest of the world. We can ensure a sustainable lifestyle for ourselves and future generations by using more renewable resources and educating people about climate change through awareness campaigns. It’s high time for us to take action against climate change, as its consequences have already begun to have disastrous implications.
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