Desodharaka Nageswara Rao Pantulu Park | |
---|---|
Type | Urban park |
Location | Mylapore, Chennai, India |
Coordinates | 13°2′11″N80°15′47″E / 13.03639°N 80.26306°E Coordinates: 13°2′11″N80°15′47″E / 13.03639°N 80.26306°E |
Area | 4 acres (1.6 hectares) |
Created | 1940 |
Operated by | Corporation of Chennai |
Status | Open all year |
Nageswara Rao Park is a 4-acre (1.6-hectare) park located on Luz Corner in Mylapore, Chennai, India. The park, with a separate play area for children, is kept open to the public from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is a popular place for morning walks among the locals. The park also hosts music kutcheris [1] and civic forums, [2] on the weekends all year round. [3] The park has a badminton court. [4] The park is maintained by Sundaram Finance. [5]
Nageswara Rao Park was originally called Arathakuttai (big pond). [6] In deference to a request by the Chennai Corporation, the owners of the pond, Ramayamma Pantulu, Aravamutha Iyengar and Nainiappa Mudaliar, donated the pond to the civic body for creating a park. After its creation, the park was named after Desodharaka Nageswara Rao Pantulu. [7] It was opened to the public by P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja, the then Chief Minister of Madras, on 20 October 1940. Originally developed in a much smaller area on Luz Church Road, the park was expanded when more land was donated by Ramayee Ammal, M. Nainappa Mudaliyar, V. Kumaraswamy Raja and Aravamadhu Iyengar in the same year. In 1996, the Chennai Corporation re-developed the park and started maintaining it. [8] A pond known as Aaratha kuttai was filled in and made into a garden. [9] It was Nageswara Rao, founder of the neighbouring Amrutanjan factory, who convinced the local residents to develop the area when the pond began to dry up. [9] It is in his memory that the park was named after him.
Tree varieties found in the park include Lapostromea, Cassia fistula, Tabulia and foliage trees like Pungam, Neem, palms, Ficus religiosa and Thespesia. Medicinal and ornamental plants such as Tabubia, Copper pod, Enterolobium saman, Cassia sp. and Ixora sp. are also found in the park. [8]
In 2002, an initiative named "Project Green Spaces - Dr. Nageswara Rao Park" was started, whereby the park was adopted by the Chennai Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce in India (AMCHAM). This also included support from the local community, which had donated for the face-lift of the park. The estimated initial costs of the face-lift was pegged at ₹ 3 million, while the ongoing costs at ₹ 600,000 per annum. The establishment of a corpus fund of ₹ 10 million for the upkeep of the park was also proposed. [7]
In 2009, a composting yard consisting of three pits was set up at the rear of the park to make compost from the garden waste that are collected from eight bins in the park. The project is funded by Sundaram Finance, which also maintains the park belonging to the Chennai Corporation. [5]
On 7 November 2010, a man was killed while taking a morning stroll on the dedicated track in the park, when a tree branch snapped off and fell on his head after a heavy rain due to cyclone that passed near the city after a gap of 14 years. [10]
Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The state's largest city in area and population as well, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, and is the most prominent cultural, economic and educational centre of South India.
Akkineni Nageswara Rao, widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and producer, known for his works majorly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, and became one of the most prominent figures of Telugu cinema. Nageswara Rao received seven state Nandi Awards, and five Filmfare Awards South. He is a recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award and Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of Art and Cinema.
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the second most circulated English-language newspaper in India, after The Times of India. As of March 2018, The Hindu is published from 21 locations across 11 states of India.
Adyar, or Adyar-On-Sea, is a large neighbourhood in south Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the southern banks of the Adyar River. It is surrounded by the Tharamani in the West, Thiruvanmiyur to the South, Besant Nagar in the East, Kotturpuram in the North-West and Raja Annamalai puram in the North past the Adyar River. Adyar is one of the costliest areas in Chennai with property values four times the value of similar sized properties in the northern part of Chennai. The Gandhi Nagar region of Adyar is one of the poshest localities in Chennai.
Anna University is a public state university located in Tamil Nadu, India. The main campus is in Chennai. It was originally established on 4 September 1978 and was named after C. N. Annadurai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Mylapore is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. It is also called Tirumayilai. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil philosopher Valluvar, and the Hindu saint and philosopher, Peyalvar.
Daggubati Ramanaidu was an Indian film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. He founded Suresh Productions in 1964 which became of one of the largest film production companies in India. He was placed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most films produced by an individual, with more than 150 films in 13 Indian languages. He also served as a Member of Parliament for the Bapatla constituency in Andhra Pradesh in the 13th Lok Sabha from 1999 to 2004.
Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the East, Nandanam in the South-East, C.I.T. Nagar in the South and West Mambalam and Kodambakkam in the West. The stretch between Duraiswamy Road and T. Nagar Bus Stand has some of the costliest real estates in Chennai. It was constructed between 1923 and 1925 by the Madras Presidency government of the Raja of Panagal as a part of town planning activities initiated according to the Madras Town Planning Act of 1920. The town was named after P. Thyagaraya Chetty. The streets, parks and localities in the new neighbourhood were named after important officials in the provincial government.
Kanchipuram also known as Conjeevaram, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, 72 km (45 mi) from Chennai – the capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the City of Thousand Temples, Kanchipuram is known for its temple architectures, 1000-pillared halls, huge temple towers and silk sarees. Kanchipuram serves as one of the most important tourist destinations in India. Kanchipuram has become a centre of attraction to the foreign tourists as well. The city covers an area of 36.14 km2 (13.95 sq mi) and an estimated population of more than 300,000 in 2021. It is the administrative headquarters of Kanchipuram District. Kanchipuram is well-connected by road and rail.
Triplicane, known in the vernacular as Thiruvallikeni, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chennai, India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal coast and about 0.6 km (0.37 mi) from Fort St George. The average elevation of the neighbourhood is 14 metres above sea level.
Vivekanandar Illam, earlier known as Ice House or Castle Kernan, is a historical building in Chennai, India. It was constructed in 1842 by Frederic Tudor. Indian Saint Swami Vivekananda stayed in the building when he visited Chennai in 1897, and it was later renamed in his honor. It is currently maintained by Ramakrishna Math and houses an exhibition on the life of Vivekananda.
Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British colonial government. It was established by the Indian Councils Act 1861, enacted in the British parliament in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Its role and strength were later expanded by the second Council Act of 1892. Limited election was introduced in 1909. The Council became a unicameral legislative body in 1921 and eventually the upper chamber of a bicameral legislature in 1937. After India became independent in 1947, it continued to be the upper chamber of the legislature of Madras State, one of the successor states to the Madras Presidency. It was renamed as the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council when the state was renamed as Tamil Nadu in 1969. The Council was abolished by the M. G. Ramachandran administration on 1 November 1986. In 2010 the DMK regime headed by M. Karunanidhi tried to revive the Council. The former AIADMK regime (2016-2021) expressed its intention not to revive the council and passed a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in this regard.
Kasinadhuni Nageswararao, better known as Nageswara Rao Pantulu, was an Indian journalist, nationalist, politician, businessman, and a staunch supporter of Khaddar movement. He participated in the Indian independence movement and in the Indian National Congress party, including Mahatma Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement through salt satyagraha. He was conferred with the title Desabandhu by the people of Andhra Pradesh. He was a major financier of Congress activities in Andhra and Chennai and is also known for patenting Amrutanjan. He was conferred with the title Desoddhaaraka by the Andhra Mahasabha. In 1935, the Andhra University honoured him with Kalaprapoorna, an honorary doctorate of Literature.
Panagal Park is a park and a locality in Thyagaraya Nagar, Chennai. The park is named after the Raja of Panagal, the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency who created the park. It is an important junction and is the commercial centre of T. Nagar.
Saridey Varalakshmi was an Indian actress and singer who worked in Telugu and Tamil-language films. She was popular for her roles and songs in Telugu films like Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam (1960) and Mahamantri Timmarasu (1962) and Tamil films like Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959) and in Poova Thalaiya (1969).
Amrutanjan Healthcare Limited is an Indian pharmaceutical company headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded by Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao in Bombay in 1893.
Sivalenka Sambhu Prasad was a journalist and Indian National Congress politician, who took over the Daily News Paper Andhra Patrika, Andhra Sachitra Vara Patrika and Bharathi which were published from Chennai City which was the capital of Composite State of Madras from his father-in-law Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao, the founder of Andhra Patrika group of publications in 1903, inventor of "Amrutanjan", a pain balm with natural ingredients, in 1893 and a freedom-fighter. After taking over he led the group of publications from 1938 to 1972. Rao also bequeathed all properties and Amrutanjan business to Sambhu Prasad, which he ran along with publications. During Sambhu Prasad's lifetime there were many important events in India, including the Second World War, the Independence of India, and much of the life, and the death, of Mahatma Gandhi. He was called "Ayyavaru" by his employees. The centenary of his birth was celebrated in 2011 by a function was attended by dignitaries and journalists, including Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Konijeti Rosaiah.
Gundamma Katha is a 1962 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao and co-produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner Vijaya Productions. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri, and Jamuna, with S. V. Ranga Rao, Suryakantham, and Ramana Reddy in supporting roles.
Natesan Park is a park in T.Nagar, Chennai, India. It is located on Venkatanarayana Road. The park covers an area of 4 acres and was opened to the public on 13 September 1950 by the then Minister of Agriculture, A. B. Shetty. It is the only park maintained by the Chennai Corporation that has a separate tennis court for coaching children. There is also a plant propagation centre and play zone for children. It is a popular spot for morning walks for the local residents. Plant varieties found in the park include Croton, Aralia, Bougainvillea, Acalypha, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, mahogany, neem, gulmohar, Cassia fistula and foliage trees like pungam, palms, Ficus religiosa and Thespesia.
As of 2019, there are 632 parks in Chennai City, including 142 parks in the north zone, 224 in the central zone, and 266 in the south zone. They range in size from 700 square metres to 5,000 square metres. A couple of the parks, including the Anna Nagar Tower Park, are spread across acres. In 2018, the city's green cover was estimated to be 14.9 percent, up from an estimated 4.5 percent in 2011. The per capita green cover of the city has been estimated at 8.5 square meters, as against the World Health Organization recommendation of 9 square meters of green cover per capita in cities. The city lost around 100,000 trees in December 2016 because of Cyclone Vardah. As of 2018, the city's tree cover is estimated to be around 64.06 sq km. This is just over 15 percent of the entire city. The most dominant species of trees in the city are copper pod, Indian beech, neem, gulmohar, raintree, and tropical almond. The overall extent of open space in the city is 34.58 km2. In all, the city has 121 species of trees belonging to 94 genera and 42 families. Teynampet zone remains the most diverse with 68 species, and Manali zone with just 38 species is the least. With 51 parks, Adyar remains the zone with the highest number of parks in the city, and Tiruvottiyur zone scores the least with only 4 parks. The share of Chennai's greenspace is dominated by the Guindy National Park, with an area of 2.71 sq km, which covers a vast area south of the Adyar River.