Table of Contents
May Day park, key landmark of Chennai, needs better upkeep
May Day Park at Chintadripet spans 14.5 acres. It was here that the first May Day was celebrated in all of India. Thousands of students on January 25, 1965, marched from this park to Fort St. George as part of the anti-Hindi agitation. But the park could do with a spruce-up
Part of history: A monument, adorned with the word ‘May’ and embellished with gears, a gun, and quotes, has pride of place at May Day Park at Chintadripet.
| Photo Credit: Akhila Easwaran
A gathering point: This July 1973 photograph captures the joyous mood of children taking bath in the pond at the May Day Park.
| Photo Credit:
THE HINDU ARCHIVES
The entrance may not be very attractive and the road where it is located could do well with a good clean. But the May Day Park at Chintadripet ticks most of the boxes for a decent park. Situated opposite the Chintadripet MRTS station, the park, spanning 14.5 acres, is less of an oasis of green calm and more of a respite for tired eyes and bodies, as seen on a hot summer afternoon: on every few benches, residents napped or did the next best thing, scrolled on their phones, while a puppy snoozed under a shady tree.
History of the park
That it is a site of some significance to Chennai’s past may not be obvious to the casual visitor. Historian V. Sriram writes that in 1849 or so, the buildings of engineering company Simpson & Co and the offices of The Hindu, The Mail and P. Orr & Sons were one large property, occupied by Burghall’s Stables, which hired out horse carriages and made saddles and livery.
In 1869, part of the land was given to the government for the creation of a park named after Governor Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier and 1st Baron Ettrick. Much of the greenery, he writes, was probably due to sewage. As underground drains were yet to be established, Napier Park received the sewage of the entire south Madras.
The park itself, Mr. Sriram writes, has much to do with the city’s labour history: it was next to one of the biggest employers of Madras then, Simpson & Co, that had a strong labour union, and it was here that the first May Day (or Labour Day) was celebrated in all of India, led by M. Singaravelu, a pioneering trade unionist and freedom fighter.
When the anti-Hindi agitations rocked Tamil Nadu in the 1960s, thousands of students on January 25, 1965, reportedly marched from Napier Park to Fort St. George. A report dated January 26, 1965 in The Hindu states: “In the morning the students came in procession from different areas of the city to the Napier Park in Chintadripet. From there, they formed a big procession and marched to the Fort St. George to demonstrate outside the Secretariat building.” Even decades after the first May Day was celebrated, the park continued to be a meeting point for workers and unions. Today, visitors may be reminded of this legacy at the park: a monument, adorned with the word ‘May’ and embellished with gears, a gun, and quotes, has pride of place.
Lack of maintenance
Its history apart, the park has always been something of a gathering point: a photograph dated July 1973 from The Hindu’s archives shows a bunch of children frolicking in the park’s pond. While this continues today — groups of neighbourhood children congregate in the evenings, along with groups of walkers — some upkeep is sorely needed.
The park has only recently been given back to residents of Chintadripet and other neighbourhoods: in 2019, it was restored with a range of facilities by Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL), which had taken it over about a decade earlier for the construction of underground tunnels.
A 69-year-old regular walker points out that the trees and saplings, part of the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Miyawaki project, need watering. “This entire area needs to be swept properly and the plants watered regularly,” she says.
Other frequent users say the mosquitoes are a problem every evening. “More trees for shade and more benches would be good,” says D. Ajanta, a resident of Chintadripet, while B. Lalitha says the users need more spots to shelter under if there is a sudden spell of rain.
Litter is an eyesore on and off the walking path: apart from abundant plant litter, there’s plastic trash, bags, and boxes strewn around. At the other end, the children’s area bursts into life as a young crowd rushes in. A badminton coaching class is about to begin and kids band together with their bags and rackets. On the playground children run about and play, but parents point out that the merry-go-round is broken, the slide is damaged, and some more play equipment would be welcome. Every time it rains, the children’s area is inundated, the park users say.
Stray dogs
Another pressing issue is that of stray dogs. They are a constant presence in the park. “There are so many dogs in the park. It is a cause for concern and it forces us to stay close to the children, and we can’t really relax,” says L. Saranya, who comes here with her four-year-old son.
Trash is everywhere outside the park, where stalls abound, selling ‘chaat’, fruits, and snacks. The pavement is damaged and encroached upon at many points, making it hazardous for parents with children and others who have to navigate between vehicles to enter the park. According to a notification put up on the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s website, in March this year, work for the development of the May Day Park Sports Ground, at a cost of ₹10 crore, was inaugurated. The initiative is aimed at making the park a hub for sports and entertainment. The park, the notification says, will offer modern sports facilities, including two indoor badminton courts, a skating rink with seating for 100 spectators, a boxing ring, six netball courts, jogging tracks, and fields for various other sports.
Read Comments
- Copy link
- Telegram
READ LATER
Remove
SEE ALL
PRINT