An illustrated presentation of the book, First Garden of the Republic: Nature on the President’s Estate, by Amita Baviskar , environmental sociologist and editor of  First Garden of the Republic: Nature on the President’s Estate

 

Chair:  Prof Narayani Gupta 

 

Renowned across the world, the Mughal Garden of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi attracts millions of visitors. Less well known is the fact that the President’s Estate also contains hundreds of acres of jungle, orchards, cultivated fields and open grounds, all teeming with a wealth of plant and animal life that did not exist 85 years ago. As a result, an oasis of ecological diversity flourishes in the heart of urban Delhi.  How was this miracle achieved? What keeps it going today?

 

This talk will show how, in the last days of empire, British rulers transformed the once-barren hilltop of Raisina into a lush landscape designed to display colonial power and style. After Independence, this imperial legacy was reshaped to serve the public purpose. The talk will also discuss how human agency creates and curates this habitat, looking particularly at the quiet yet constant work done by the malis (gardeners). It will trace the history of the formal gardens and forests, highlighting the role of sentiment, status and taste in designing this landscape