Not every visitor to the Empress Gardens (named after Queen Victoria attained the title Empress of India), would give due importance to this patch of greenery, located bang opposite the Pune Race Course on the Prince of Wales road, but for nature lovers and botany enthusiasts, this eco-friendly garden houses some of the best treasures of nature, spread within the periphery of these vast landscaped gardens.
Flanked on every side by tall trees, these 38 acres would in reality represent the green lungs of this city. Herein lie some rare species of flora, age-old trees probably planted hundreds of years ago. Varieties of stately banyan, palm, peepul, rain trees, rubber, the precious neem and ashoka, rustle their leaves amidst the lush foliage of tamarind and even mango. One needs a great deal of time to cover the variety of specimens which are added on each year.
In itself, the gardens and shrubs form a perfect respite from the tall concrete structures mushrooming all over Pune’s skyline. Serving primarily as a play area for kids, one may have a nice family picnic or laze by the running stream. Their nursery (with its own greenhouse) has a good selection of fruit and flower saplings to add to your home garden. The major attraction, however, is in winter, when it hosts the annual flower show where innumerable species of flowers are on display…
However, the crying need of the day, (after discovering that the government is pushing to utilize part of the land for building ministerial housing) is for us all to assist in protecting this piece of land or nothing else will be left to save ! We need the trees, the open spaces and for Mother Nature to be a part of every human being’s lifestyle
