Veer Kotwal Udyan, Dadar: Providing shade and succour to weary shoppers, local train commuters
Spanning in an area less than an acre, it is far from being one of Mumbai’s biggest parks, but its location, a 5-minute walk from one of the busiest railway stations – Dadar, makes it an ideal spot for the city’s local train commuters to rest before their next hustle.
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The park’s location, a 5-minute walk from one of the busiest railway stations – Dadar, makes it an ideal spot for the local train commuters to rest before their next hustle. (Pradip Das)Located on a triangular traffic island opposite the iconic Plaza cinema in Dadar West is Veer Kotwal Udyan, a popular recreation and a resting spot for weary shoppers and local train commuters. Spanning in an area less than an acre, it is far from being one of Mumbai’s biggest parks, but its location, a 5-minute walk from one of the busiest railway stations – Dadar, makes it an ideal spot for the city’s local train commuters to rest before their next hustle.
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The park’s focal point is the “Katta”— a friendly, informal place, usually the boundary wall, to talk about anything — ranging from politics, culture and theatre to tea, traffic and, most recently, coronavirus and lockdown. Every day, the katta plays witness to not just friendly banter between old friends but also sees new friendships being forged among strangers. Katta’s enormous contribution to social life was highlighted by Mumbai’s iconic Shivaji Park, about a km away from Veer Kotwal Udyan. The park boundary wall at a perfect height makes it an ideal spot for sitting and sleeping.
On a hot and humid Tuesday afternoon, when this reporter visited the Veer Kotwal Udyan, a new discussion was ignited — about the park’s timings. The new timings i.e., 6 am to 12 pm and 4 to 7 pm, did not go down well with the tired commuters looking for shade from the smouldering sun. While tempers were running high, a passer-by calmed the group by informing that the new timings kicked in following complaints regarding a few senior citizens being heckled in the afternoon.
Manoj Shivjare, who has been a regular at the park for 10 years now, said, “I wanted to catch a breath and sit for 10 minutes before heading to the station. I leave my residence around 7 am every day… this park is a meeting place, a nap room, lunch room for me.”
A former BMC official, while praising the Veer Kotwal Udyan and its location, had once said that he used to frequent the garden often with his wife as they waited to catch a show at the Dadar Plaza cinema.
Inside the park, a few boards state the dos and don’ts, park timings and a little information on its botany. A small area has some swings for kids, but there are hardly any takers for them. The park’s most popular spots are its benches, much sought-after for afternoon naps.
At the end of the garden, visible from outside, is a sculpture of Vithal Laxman Kotwal (alias Bhai Kotwal), a social reformer and revolutionary from Neral, after whom the garden is named.
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