Dates: 7.30 a.m. on Saturday, April 12, 2014
Venue: The ticketing window of Jijamata Udyan (Rani Bagh), Byculla. Please note that cars should enter from the OUT gate. Inform the security guard that you have come for the Save Rani Bagh tree trail. We each need to pay a nominal Rs. 5/- entrance fee (car parking is an additional Rs. 20/- . Try to car pool, parking space is limited). There are no further charges.
Contact Details: If you would like to join the group, please register with Valmi Shah Shirodkar or Mallika Narvekar by calling them at 022-23016848/49 during office hours or sending an email to valmi@sanctuaryasia.com or mallika@sanctuaryasia.com. Mention your subscription number, cell phone number, and number of people in your group including the ages of children. Please register quickly to avoid disappointment since space is very limited on this special trail and slots fill up fast. Registration closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 11, or when we reach maximum capacity, whichever is sooner.
What to Wear/Carry: It would be a good idea to wear comfortable walking shoes and natural insect repellent; and carry a cap and drinking water. Please note that disposable plastic bottles (Pet Bisleri type) are not permitted. Also, though food is not allowed in the park itself, kids could carry something to eat in the parking/ticket area after the trail (there is also a snack van). Those of you who have binoculars and cameras might like to carry them, and little kids might enjoy exploring with a magnifying glass.
On Saturday, April 12, join us for a morning of fun, learning and nature exploration in the middle of the city. Our wonderful friends from the Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Committee will take us on a personal guided tree walk for about an hour and a half, before the place opens up to the public. We welcome family members of all ages and abilities.
About Rani Bagh: It is a 53-acre heritage botanical park (over 150 years old) in the heart of Mumbai city. Rani Bagh is the city's largest green open public space and much needed green lung which is home to over 3,213 trees and a total of 853 plant species, providing a verdant habitat for thousands of birds, insects and bats.
About the Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Foundation: Unfortunately, in 2007, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced its plan of setting up a zoo to international standards at a cost of Rs. 433 crore. Realising that such a huge expense would entail construction activity on an enormous scale and that was no treeless space available in the botanical garden for further construction, a group of friends formed the Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Committee and set about gathering information and marshalling public support to oppose the BMC's plan. Their main focus was to protect for posterity the existing 150-year-old botanical garden in the heart of the city with huge age-old majestic trees. After a five year struggle, the Save Rani Bagh Committee was able to convince the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee to reject the BMC's international zoo proposal. Thereafter, the BMC was ordered to make a smaller plan only for the renovation of existing animal enclosures. In 2012, they founded a Public Charitable Trust - Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Foundation - to generate greater awareness about the botanical garden and to strive to enhance its many features.
Read more: Rani Bagh 150 Years - Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan And Zoo.
