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Kochi's own Hyde Park

The Changampuzha Park is more than a green lung. It has grown into a centre for fine arts, where tradition and values of the old world are nurtured, says PREMA MANMADHAN

MULTIPURPOSE PLACE Changampuzha Park caters to all sections of people who come here to relax and get entertained PHOTO: H.VIBHU

"Ponthingalkala pottu thotta ... " went the evergreen Jesudas number in the clear voice of Vijesh Gopal, on the stage, as the crowds, filling up every conceivable space in the Changampuzha Park, on the benches, steps and under the trees, kept time to the music. The ganamela in memory of the late KPAC Sulochana gave Edappally folks yet another evening of free entertainment, last week.

Nestling between the old and new highway, the 1.75-acre park is a hub of activity all through the year, thanks to the Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, a charitable society formed in 1997.

Till then, the Changampuzha Memorial Art Centre, for which C. Achutha Menon laid the foundation stone in 1977, was a space that benefited few. In fact, the bust of the famed poet Changampuzha, was often a mute witness to activities of anti social elements who smoked pot or merely lazed around in between the shrubs and unkempt `park'. "We gave strict instructions to our children not to enter the park in those days," says Meera V., who stays near the park.

Today, kids swarm the park, playing on the seesaw, slide, swing and the merry-go-round, while young papas and mamas gather near the pool and fountain, gossiping. A group of men and women walk briskly by, on the walkway, with a steely determination to shed those extra kilos. On one side, the white-clad senior citizens chat of the day's happenings and the next programme of the Senior Citizen's Forum under the aegis of the Samskarika Kendram.

K. Balachandran, patron of the society, took the lead in establishing it when he was the GCDA chairman.

Regular programmes

The tie up with different cultural and literary bodies has made it possible to have programmes almost every other day at the park. Says Mr. Balachandran, "Admission to the park is free. The fee for membership to the Samskarika Kendram is Rs 3,000 now. There are 1,100 members. Though the members are not benefited in any way, they are happy to be volunteers at these functions and to locate sponsors for big events."

Lokadharmi, a theatre group headed by Chandradasan holds regular workshops and camps for theatre enthusiasts and children at the park, besides staging plays, which are open to all. Recently, the play, `Pattabaakki' was staged. Every Saturday, there are training sessions and on the last Saturday of the month, there are film shows, talks or plays.

It's a Hyde Park of sorts too. Kavya Moola is a gathering of the poetic at heart on the fourth Sunday of every month. Even if all the poems don't draw wah wahs, there is a positive audience ready to encourage latent talent in rhyme or free verse.

The Aksharasloka Sadas was started here four years ago. Many lovers of this dying art (or literary game) gather from far and near to pit their knowledge against one another. But they appeal to the older generation more than the Gen Next or Gen Now. Mastering Malayalam and Sanskrit verses is certainly not for the TV-addicted generation, programmed to run from class to tuition centres and back to home in circles.

The Senior Citizens' Forum has 190 members. The membership fee is a princely Rs. 10! The women of the area perhaps don't see enough reason to be members, for they number under 10. Weekly meetings, if not daily ones, an occasional `sadya' for a member's 80th birthday, and picnics light up the lives of the over-60 folks. There are flowers and wishes for every one's birthday from the office bearers.

The Kathakali Aswadhaka Sangham of the Kendram will have only the best. "We don't book a group, but invite each artiste separately so that we get the best. And sometimes we have all night kathakali as in old times. Genuine kathakali lovers and tourists who get to know of it come for these programmes," says Mr. Balachandran.

The Edappally Sangeetha Sabha, formed a year ago, encourages new talent while there are regular concerts by the seasoned classical singers too. No passes, no hassles. It's a quiet evening of music, with the breeze blowing and friends for company.

The residents' associations of adjoining areas, 14 in all, stage their programmes for their annual day here. "We have a sound system, chairs and a stage. We give this free, of course. We are just facilitators. A number of organisations have used the park to stage programmes on condition that admission to the public is free. But we do not allow all and sundry to use the stage. There is a screening procedure," informs Mr. Balachandran.

The two independent circular rooms in the park serve as recreation rooms, one for playing chess and carom and houses the TV and radio. The other is used for meetings. There are green rooms behind the old stage.

A real IN172 aeroplane that stands proudly at one end of the park, the works of art that came after a national sculpture camp and a bigger stage that has come up now, has reduced the open space. More constructions will make it a non-park, many people in the area feel. It is not without reason that local people feel very attached to the Changampuzha Park.

Swampy area

"We had our shops here, where the back gate is today. The park was a swampy area and the highway was this small road, along the back gate," explain Dasan Menon, his wife Indira and T. M. Kuttappan.

"Thirty years ago, we were evicted from our shops, to make way for the Changampuzha Park. I was given only Rs. 80 as compensation. Many of our friends were given smaller amounts. It was during the Emergency and we could not do anything", reminiscences Mr. Menon, who put up a shop nearby. Mr. Kuttappan, who lost his tailoring shop, turned to real estate brokering to eke out a living. Yet, he is not bitter. "I was sad no doubt, because they said then that there would be a shopping complex built there and we would be given shops. But today, I feel this big park is much better than a shopping complex, and good for our children," he says.

Every evening, around 50 volunteers, members and non-members, come to the park and help with the arrangements for programmes or simply relax.

It is more than a green lung for the burgeoning city suburb, it's a place which represents the fine arts, where the young and old congregate to keep alive tradition and the values of the old world.

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