Grandiose in conception, rugged and massive in outline and opulent in detail, the moment one enters the 9,000 meters odd, Charti Lal Heritage Park between the Red Fort and Jama Masjid, gives one the feeling of being inside the Diwan-e-Aam of a Mughal Emperor. With rich carvings in red stones, the 12-door ‘Baradari’, a pavilion like the one at Diwan-e-Khas or the Agra Fort with a chandelier, a large number of chhatris (smaller dome-like umbrellas), lit at night with candlelight like lamps, the iron grills, the heritage doors, takes one back into the mughal era of mughal paintings too, will be inscribed at the walls around the entrance.
Right at the entry and of course, all over inside, one is reminded of the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens of the Netherlands owing to their inimitable picturesque quality. The variety of flowers is just mind-blowing, including the Gardenia, Orchid, Marigold, Carnation, Daisy, Alstromeria, Petunia, Shrubberies, Croton and Calla Lily.
Vijay Goel, the uncrowned ‘Heritage Man of India’, a former minister and three-time MP, was once also known as the “Ideas Man” of the BJP, who came up with the unique idea and accomplishment of a heritage park in the name of his illustrious father, Charti Lal Goel, a senior RSS think tank, mayor of Delhi’s first Municipal Corporation and the first speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly.
Right between the world heritage site, Mughal seat of Indian rule for more than two centuries, that is, the Red Fort and another landmark of the same era, the Shahjahani Jama Masjid, Charti Lal Goel Heritage Park, aligns the two with the modern day designer state of the art heritage park, now, one of the few green lungs of the archaic old Delhi.
The park is a blessing not only for the local community but also the connoisseurs of heritage from all walks of life and nooks and crannies of the world. At the site, North NDMC, daily come up with one or the other culture and heritage based programmes and talks. Besides, old Delhi’s inimitable food and handicrafts items too will be made available and a plan is underway for the same with Jama Masjid on the one side and Red Fort on the other, the Heritage Park seems to be a perfect centre point.
Charti Lal Heritage Park was inaugurated by Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India recently. Appreciating it, Kovind termed the heritage park as a mini Mughal Garden like the one at Rashtrapati Bhawan earlier, the same area was a redundant desert patch of land infested by rodents and concrete, often used for urination by the passersby.
Earlier, in front of this new pride of Delhi, was also an old coat market. Even this author, who had spent 30 years of his life in the walled city of Delhi, couldn’t believe the way it has been transformed and preserved into an el dorado in one of the world’s most congested areas, single handedly by Goyal. Nevertheless, some politicians across the party lines, like Karan Singh, KTS Tulsi, Subramaniam Swami, Rupa Ganguly, Swapan Das Gupta too have supported him.
A round of the park, with room for future stream waterways, reminds about the hard work done by Goel and his team for the last five years to be accomplished in the present shape. The entire structure of the park, though totally historic but prepared with the latest designer and state of the art unique combination of the modern and antique techniques of lighting and art, plus the combination of plush grassy grounds and multiple flower beds of bright and brilliant hue, reminds one of the monuments in Agra. The toilets are world class sans any foul smell owing to the best sanitation arrangements and cleanliness.
According to its architect Kapil Aggarwal, this cultural hub is a combination of the classical and modern with renaissance elements in highly original way with its extraordinarily refined red sandstone work. In terms of its seating capacity and the massive stage, all seem to be the representation of a remarkable example of a combination of major styles as in Rome’s Colosseum Amphitheatre.
Set amidst the Sylvan green with fresh and glossy grass, this is just an oasis in the desert of Purani Dilli. “My vision and mission is to give old Delhi, its much deserved tag of heritage city! I call it, ‘God’s Spot’, opined Goel. In fact, it’s Delhi’s ninth wonder. This is developed by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. Such heritage exploits have been Goel’s cup of tea, as has been seen in the past about his preservation of Delhi’s heritage and composite culture by conducting cultural events like, Chaudhvin ka Chaand, Phoolon ka Utsav, Purani Dilli ka Khana, Dharampura Haveli, besides many other events, over the years. Of course, the white marble bust of Charti Lal Goel, reminds one and all the way one should never forget the contribution of one’s elders.
As the idiom goes, a storm in a teacup, we say, a monument in Goel’s teacup. The preserver also restored a 200-year-old haveli, named ‘Haveli Dharampura’ in Chandni Chowk area, with his son Siddhanth that had also won the prestigious UNESCO Asia-Pacific 2017 Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Apart from that, he has been into a lot of social work activities through his Lok Abhiyan, doing away with the horrendous lottery system destroying lakhs of poor homes, Toy Bank for the hapless and managed by his daughter, Vidyun Goel and encouragement of games among the economically weaker sections of society, too were conducted by Goel while as the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs.
Heritage preservation being Vijay’s watchword, whether he’s in power or not, has still been his mission. The preservation of 551 havelis of which, 526, are just in Chandni Chowk, is a work at hand. People of Chandni Chowk said that they missed his weekly visits at the Town Hall crossing to redress the people’s problems and the cultural festivals conducted by him. His quality, according to Mohd Shahid, a resident of Bara Hindu Rao, has been that he doesn’t believe in working nearing the elections but mainly in between the two elections, when politicians usually disappear after winning. Even today, he is equally popular among all sections in the area that he had represented.
Truth is that to bring up a heritage-themed park amidst the thickest population density area of old Delhi and maybe, the world, is almost an impossible dream come true owing to the legal, situational and funding tangles. Nevertheless, it was the resolve of Goel that had kept him going along with the zeal to preserve the city’s glorious past.
When asked, what implored him to come up with, this project between Red Fort and Jama Masjid, pat came his reply, “I believe that history is written on each and every brick of old Delhi and since I have represented this area in the Parliament a couple of times, still my heart and soul, are into it. Besides, my father Charti Lal, especially educated me to guard the historical heritage and composite culture of Delhi, something that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi also has faith in.
While questioned about the problem of a claustrophobic and snail-paced traffic and illegal encroachments, around the monument, he stated that in the second phase of the uplift of the heritage park, not only that the encroachments will be removed but the traffic management too will be taken care of in a scientific manner such that there are no traffic hazards at all. It goes without saying that in the days to come, the park will be a major attraction for the Indian and foreign tourists owing to its geographical setting in the heart of the walled city of Delhi, says Goel adding that both the Centre and Delhi government should amicably work on the uplift of the cultural heritage of Delhi besides helping sprinkle and flourish this very park.
The author Firoz Bakht Ahmed is a former Chancellor, social activist and community worker