CASE STUDY;RABINDRA SAROBAR

Rabindra Sarobar

For the venue in Dhaka, Bangladesh, see Dhanmondi Lake.

Rabindra Sarobar with a view of South City

Rabindra Sarobar (previously known as Dhakuria Lake) is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the
Indian state of West Bengal.

The name also refers to the area surrounding the lake. It is flanked by Southern Avenue to the
North, Shyamaprasad Mukhetjee Road to the West, Dhakuria to the East and the Kolkata
Suburban Railway tracks to the south.

History

In the early 1920s, the Calcutta Improvement Trust (CIT), a body responsible for developmental
work in the Kolkata metropolitan area, acquired about 192 acres (0.78 km2) of marshy jungles.
Their intention was to develop the area for residential use – improving the roads, raising and
levelling some of the adjacent land and building lakes and parks. Excavation work was
undertaken with the plan of creating a huge lake. Originally known as Dhakuria Lake, in May
1958, CIT renamed the lake as Rabindra Sarovar, as a tribute to the great Bengali writer and
Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore.

The area around this excavated lake was later developed to build recreational complexes, which
included children's parks, gardens and auditoria.

An artist draws a tree in front of the lake

Today the lake and its surrounding areas are one of the most popular recreational areas in
Kolkata. 73 acres (300,000 m2) are covered by water, while shrubs and trees, some of which are
more than 100 years old, occupy the rest of the area. A partial tree census in 2012 recorded 50
different species.[1] In the winter, one can spot some migratory birds around the lake,[2] though
the numbers are dwindling because of the rise in pollution level. The lake itself is home to many
varieties of fish. Fishing is strictly prohibited. In 2012 an abandoned waterhouse in the premises
of lake turned into a museum run by Kolkata Improvement Trust as a gallery for installation art.
Locals often called as “thakur-der gallery”[3] is a place for some of the award-winning Durga
idols of Kolkata.[4]

Rowing going on in Rabindra Sarovar Lake.

A number of people come for a walk around the lake in the mornings to enjoy the fresh air.
Many visit the sunrise point to offer their prayers to the sun. During the day, it is visited by
families on a picnic, tourists, young lovers and joggers.

Landmarks

To the north is a football stadium, known as the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, with a seating
capacity of approximately 26,000 people. It was established in the 1950s and is today, the city's
first stadium to be fully equipped with audio-visual training facilities.

Also to the north is the open-air theatre, Mukta Mancha.

Nazrul Mancha is situated on the northern flank near Golpark.

The only Japanese Buddhist temple in Kolkata is located on the southern fringe of the Rabindra
Sarovar. It was established in 1935 by Nichidatsu Fujii, founder of the worldwide Buddhist
association, the Nipponzan Myohoji. Monks offer prayers in Japanese, to the sound of beating
drums, in the early morning hours and at dusk. There are no restrictions on entry to the main
temple even when prayers are in progress. Outside the main temple building there is a pillar,
with a message of peace engraved in Japanese, and a pair of lions that symbolise the guardians
of the faith. The Japanese refer to these figures as Komainu (lion-dog).
There is a mosque on one of the lake's islands, which predates the excavation of the lake itself.
This island is connected to the southern shore by a cable-stayed wooden (now iron) suspension
bridge, which was built in 1926 and renovated in 1962. The fish sanctuary under this bridge is an
additional attraction.

There are some cannons lying on the lake's west bank that were found during the excavation in
the early 1920s and retained by the CIT for beautification. It is believed that they were used by
Nawab Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independent ruler of Bengal.

The complex contains a safari garden and children's play center with a lily pool, and a swimming
pool. A toy train, operational between 1985 and 1989, was a popular draw for children.

A number of rowing[5] and swimming clubs are situated within the Rabindra Sarovar complex.
While the former are located to the north of this lake, the latter are located to its south. In 1858
the British founded the Calcutta Rowing Club (CRC), presently one of the oldest clubs in India, to
promote rowing activities in Kolkata. In 1901, it got affiliated to the prestigious Amateur Rowing
Association of the East (ARAE) and in 1923 signed a reciprocal arrangement deal with the
London Rowing Club. The CRC has been the hub of competitive rowing in Kolkata for more than
150 years and has organised many intra- and inter-club competitions. Rowing facilities are
available to members on a regular basis, from 6 am to 7:30 am and from 3:30 pm to 5 pm. The
Bengal Rowing Club, Lake Club and Calcutta University Rowing Club are a few other rowing clubs
located in the Rabindra Sarovar complex. One of the most prestigious and oldest swimming clubs
in Kolkata, the Indian Life Saving Society (formerly known as Anderson Club) has its office in the
lake complex.

The lake is within walking distance of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture at Golpark.

There is an auditorium or a hall within the sarovar complex which adjoins the Rabindra Sarovar
Stadium. Its name is Pavilion Hall.

a reference to this Pavilion Hall in this link

Degradation

Like a majority of artificial lakes in the country, Rabindra Sarovar is suffering environmental
degradation. Water pollution is on the rise, owing to an increase in tourist flow and habitation
around the lake. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, has recently
included this lake under the National Lake Conservation Plan in the hope that this will help
preserve it. The local authorities have also begun an extensive tree plantation programme.

Transport
Rabindra Sarovar is 30 km away from Dum Dum airport and 12 km from the Howrah railway
station.

The area is served by the Rabindra Sarobar station of the Kolkata Metro and Lake Gardens and
the Tollygunge station of the Kolkata suburban railway (Budge Budge section). It is one of the
two points where the two railway systems interface (the other being Dum Dum).