Recreation area

I'd said earlier that with the hoardings gone, more of the city's greenery has become visible. Since then I've realized that it is not just the removal of the hoardings, but also some serious, sustained work on the city parks which has kept Chennai's green from fading away. Over the past four years or so, the Corporation of Chennai has been going green with a vengeance. Many, if not all the parks in and around the city have been taken back from the shady citizens who used to be the only users. With several spots of paint, several shrubs, plants and even saplings, these parks have been made much more attractive for the law abiding citizens to frequent.

It's not just in the dormat parks; green borders have been created along the margins of a few city roads, where there was earlier space for dumping garbage. These areas have been cleared of the rubbish and fenced off. It is a pleasant surprise to suddenly come across a patch of green by the road, so one forgives the rather haphazard distribution of such green margins, preferring rather to hope that they will remain there for ages.

Even though the Thiru Vi Ka Park in Shenoy Nagar has not been accorded the status of a 'major park' by the Corporation, it is still large enough for a few badminton games to happen simultaneously!