When landscape architect Ketaki Godbole came across a statement that the Empress Botanical Garden used to be called the “Garden of Dr Don” for several years in the late 1800s, she was intrigued. There was no other information available. “Why was Dr Don so important that a garden was named after him?” she says. Godbole tried to find out — and unearthed surprising details that are fading from memory and record books and are in real danger of being lost forever.
The Empress Botanical Garden is famous as Pune’s green paradise — but it has another identity that is hidden among the trees. In a place dedicated to growth and flowering, a 200-year history has stayed buried for long. On February 21, Godbole will lead a walk that will begin in the 1800s and end in the present, delving into the roots and branches of one of Pune’s best-known landmarks.
Among the events that have involved the Gardens are the Third Anglo-Maratha War and the golden jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria. The walk is a part of events that will culminate in the launch of a coffee table book on the garden. The book will begin in 1818, during the Anglo-Maratha War. Godbole has been working on the project for a year-and-a-half. The basic map of the 39-acre biodiverse expanse of the garden, which greets visitors at the entrance, is her work.
As for Dr Don, Godbole found the entire family tree of the Don family. It helped that the surname is not common. She traced the strong work connections of Dr Don to Pune. “The family, originally, came from Scotland. Dr Don was one of the contemporaries of Dr Alexander Gibson, who was managing the Dapodi Botanical Garden. It is a very interesting connection that we’ll find out more about in the book,” she says.
As Godbole talks, it seems that she is referring to a space that few people know rather than an important landmark of the city. For one, the Empress Botanical Garden didn’t even start as a botanical garden. It became one in stages. It was the now-defunct Dapodi Garden that was a forerunner in the botanical garden history of Pune.
For another, the gardens in Pune were run at the initiative of the surgeons of the East India Company. “They took it as their own initiative and paid for it out of their own pockets for at least the first five years. They did it out of passion,” she says.
The British had created three botanical gardens in India, in Kolkata, Bengaluru and Saharanpur. In Pune, the cantonment was set up in 1827 for European soldiers, but they began facing health issues. “This was because their diet and routines still followed their European climate. They were eating a lot of meat, consuming alcohol and, because Indians were serving them, doing very little physical labour. Pune’s hot, tropical weather was not kind to them. It was the same in the Bengal and Madras presidencies, among others. The soldiers’ immunity came down to such an extent that the East India Company was worried,” says Godbole.
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A health commission was set up to find out what was happening. “One of the recommendations was to set up a soldiers’ garden. In Pune, the Empress Garden was where the European soldiers could do a lot of physical hard work in order to digest all the extra food they were eating,” says Godbole. The Empress Garden came to be known as the Soldiers’ Garden. It was selected because it had a lot of banyan trees that provided shade. The British were fascinated by the tree. The garden has outlived the name of Soldiers’ Garden and even the East India Company and Queen Victoria, the Empress of India, after whom it is named.
Today, the garden is thick with tall and rare trees, a deep foliage made up of giant climbers and innumerable birds, insects and other wildlife. The garden has become an institution of a living collection of plants in Maharashtra, and an environmental centre of the city. “You will not find such a garden anywhere in India because all the others were run from the beginning with government funding as botanical gardens. This is the only one we know that held up its own place purely from public funding and without government aid, and gradually became a botanical garden,” says Godbole.
Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.
Professional Background
Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.
Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).
Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.
Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:
1. Climate & Environment
"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.
"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.
2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage
"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.
"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.
"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.
3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"
"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.
"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.
"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.
Signature Style
Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.
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