Barakhamba - 2010

During Barakhamba 2008, the experience of researching and learning from the environmentalists, bio diversity scientists, activists, sensitive architects / town planners and other individuals/ institutions about the gradual loss of green cover in Delhi and the insensitive removal of the trees during various ongoing city development projects which overlook the role of trees in the context of road zones, exposed me to the state of trees throughout the city due to the relentless construction, widening of the roads and concretization of the pavements, resulting in total choking including two stretches of historic Barakhamba Road.

DMRC had replaced the lost Baheda trees by planting Pilkhin above the Metro station between Connaught Place’s outer circle to Tolstoy Marg and the legally stipulated minimum 6x6 feet space required around the trees had been neglected by the civil work authorities. The concrete tree guards had in time, turned into dustbins and were harmful to the health and growth of the trees as well as unhygienic for other living beings…

Collaboration with Ajay Mahajan an environmentalist and Fayaiz Khudsar a bio-diversity scientist to de-choke the trees on Barakhamba Road resulted in working in co-operation with New Delhi Municipal Corporation’s horticulture department. The artist’s intervention and collaboration could initiate the action to benefit 180 trees.

Theoretically such a project raised questions about the participatory art making processes in public spaces and to what extent it could make a difference and why there is little interest in works which do not end in objects to be viewed.