Joseph 1

Cubbon Park: Looking at Parks as a Symbol of Recreation and

Prosperity, as Seen in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

When we consider the colonial history of India, there is a

need to look beyond the obvious notion of the “drain of

resources” that happened. History records events as they

happened, it is the duty of nationalists to separate the

Indianness to promote national feelings, but as Literature

students, it is our duty to look at the ambiguity of the

phenomenon of British colonisation of India. My tryst with this

phenomenon takes me to the capital city of southern state of

Karnataka – Bengaluru, or how it was known during the British raj

in India as Bangalore Cantonement. Bangalore city was under the

administration of the kingdom of Mysore, but Bangalore Cantonment

was under the British raj. More than a century after the British

invasion of Bangalore, its pleasant weather still attracts

outsiders.

The present day Bangalore is also called the Garden City and

the popular understanding is that it is called so because of the

famous gardens within the city, but few know that the credit of

naming the city thus goes to a park established in 1870 by Sir

John Meade, the then acting Commissioner of Mysore. The park was

named after him as Meade’s park. It was designed as a public park

spread over about 100 acres by Major General Richard Sankey and

was renamed as Cubbon Park after the longest serving commissioner

of the period, Sir mark Cubbon. The park went through another

Joseph 2

renaming in the year 1927 as Chamarajendra Park to commemorate

the silver jubilee of Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar’s rule in Mysore

state. Holding together the long ordeal and the various

christenings, the park testifies its passage through history with

various colonial structures existing majestically in post

colonial India. There are five statues in the park – Queen

Victoria’s statue installed in 1906, King Edward VII statue

installed in 1919, a statue of Major General Sir Mark Cubbon, Sri

K. Sheshadri Iyer statue installed in 1913 and Sri

Joseph 3

Cubbon Park

The Sheshadri Memorial Hall which is now the State CentralLibrary

Chamarajendra Wodeyar statue installed in 1927. The park is

officially named Sri Chamarajendra Park, but the name Cubbon Park

has stuck. In fact, I could not find a single board in the park

bearing the official name, and the few frequenters I interviewed

had no idea about the official name. The initial 100 acre park

has been expanded to a sprawling 250 acre huge lung space (as

every written work describes the place) in the heart of

Bangalore, and it is surrounded by many important structures that

house several government offices. The Attara Kacheri (means 18

government offices) is now the High Court of Karnataka. The

Sheshadri Memorial Hall which is now the Central Library and the

State Archaeological museum, which was also built by Colonel

Joseph 4

Sankey is similar in architecture to the Attara Kacheri. The park

is under the maintenance and control of the Horticulture

Department of Karnataka. Sadly, most of the buildings are closed

on weekends and entertain inquiries on archives of the park only

from 10:30 AM to 2 PM on weekdays. My resource person Mr.

Muthamadaiah, the Asst. Horticulture Officer promised me a good

session if I come on weekdays, and I am looking forward to

meeting him. Other officials did guide me to locate important

places within the huge park, but they did not want their names

mentioned in this paper.

This huge contribution of the British Raj to the city of

Bangalore makes me think why this park was important to the

British, and what importance it holds now. The foundation of

Cubbon Park goes back to the reign of Queen Victoria in England.

The Victorians are credited for shaping the concept of public

parks as spaces to relax and to exercise. During the mid 19th

century till the beginning of the 20th century, public parks were

the hot topics and related issues found spaces in newspapers and

periodicals. Other than spaces for people to meet and mix freely,

the parks were a means to boost the local economy and civic pride

as they increased the appeal of a town to live and work in. When

it comes to parks, local authorities play an important role as it

is them who maintain the park, but, to maintain any place, huge

economy is required. Coming to the Cubbon Park, we can think of

it as a leeway from the daily rat race, now and even during the

British raj. Unlike other cities that were important as trade

Joseph 5

centres, Bangalore was a military base, and the lack of

recreational activities around; plus the friendly weather might

have been a contributing factor to the creation of this park.

Looking at its importance now, a place like Cubbon Park becomes a

welcome distraction from long hours in traffic, office and other

spheres. While not many understand the importance of the park

(historical or otherwise), its contribution to Bangalore as a

breathing space and as the soul of the ‘Garden City’ cannot be

denied.

Sri Sheshadri Iyer Sri Chamarajendra Wodeyar

Joseph 6

Queen Victoria King Edward VII

The best interpretations about history can be made from

literary works of the time. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice,

though published in 1813, is a preview of the writings of the

Victorian era. Victorian period is marked with technological

advancements and cities/ towns choked by burning coal. It is

customary for people to get involved with ideas that are scarce,

and hence, Landscapes became a very important theme. Pride and

Prejudice is a novel that deals with the prejudices of the upper

class and the interaction between wealth and virtues. Wealth in

Austen’s work is symbolised by beautiful houses with landscapes.

Let me quote the part in the novel which is my personal favourite

– Elizabeth’s visit to the Pemberly Estate:

Joseph 7

The park was very large, and contained great variety of

ground...Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for

which nature had done more...and at that moment she felt that to

be mistress of Pemberly might be something.

Reading this section made me feel the splendour that captured

Elizabeth’s attention. The detail and joy with which Jane Austen

describes the landscape makes a reader experience the scenic

beauty and also attach a sense of awe to the vast natural space

that symbolises wealth, taste and grandeur – a rare combination.

When Elizabeth’s uncle Mr. Gardiner is invited for fishing by Mr.

Darcy, we get an impression of the activities that come so

naturally to the wealthy. The wealthy can afford to engage with

nature in a way a common man can only dream about. For Mr. Darcy,

his house and its surrounding landscape of the Pemberly Estate is

a perfect world, something which only the worthy and wealthy can

own and manage. Another interesting section is the part where Mr.

Darcy meets Elizabeth and the Gardiners in his estate.

Whilst wandering on in this slow manner, they were again

surprised, and Elizabeth’s astonishment was quite equal to what

it had been at first, by the sight of Mr. Darcy approaching them

and at no great distance. The walk being less sheltered than on

the other side, allowed them to see him before they met.

In these lines, it can be noted that the owner of the land is

oblivious of his visitors; he is carefree and welcoming when he

sees the visitors but the visitors are aware of everything around

them – the natural splendour and the wealth, the beauty which is

Joseph 8

escalated by Mr. Darcy’s welcoming manner. The park is the

natural habitat of the wealthy, and for the poor (or less

fortunate), it is a treat or a gift. I would like to put the same

train of thought in association to parks in England during this

time where the wealthy and the industrialised made parks as a

gift to the less

Joseph 9

With Security Personnel outside the High Court and inside theCubbon Park

Joseph 10

privileged. The same can be said of the Cubbon Park too, which

was a gift to everyone from the prosperous British officers. To

conclude, I wish to express my concern about the indifference of

people towards historical structures like Cubbon Park. While

clicking pictures, I was awed by the splendid architecture and

craftsmanship, and at the same time, appalled by people’s

indifference and irresponsibility towards such historical

treasures.