Acres of greenery, straightforward green patches and well-maintained parks, Malibu has them all. There is one at every turn. One of them is Vine Street Park situated in the heart of the township.
The Park is in full bloom at this time of the year. The half-a-dozen Moringa trees are flush with blossoms promising to yield a bountiful harvest of ‘Saijan Phali’ to folks who flock to gather armloads of this superfood from April onwards! Besides these, there are the usual flowering plants and trees but what catches one’s fancy are the two huge clumps of bamboo bursting out of their fences!
Like most parks, this one, too, is a haven for morning walkers and yoga enthusiasts and it is equally popular with youngsters who can be seen playing cricket in the evenings. Evenings also offer the heartwarming sight of a group of EWS kids attending a makeshift classroom conducted by a group of volunteers under the aegis of a neighbouring resident. Equally heartwarming are the squeals of laughter that float across from the swings and slides situated in one corner of this one-acre park. The flurry and twitter of the busybody squirrels and the screech of the fat parrots add a delightful tenor to the merry din. A visit to this neighbouring park always cheers me up.
The name of Mr Luthra, resident of 14 Birch Street Is synonymous with VS Park. The beautiful landscaped look and the scores of plants and trees one sees around have mostly been put together by Mr Luthra. He has painstakingly spent money, time and energy in giving the park its present look. The two gently rising grassy mounds on either end of the park are also Mr Luthra’s recent addition to the VS Park. Dotted with pretty flowering shrubs, these mounds are popular sprawling grounds for sunbathers and general ‘lazers’!
Mr Luthra’s dedication towards developing the Park goes beyond his passion for gardening. In good neighbourly spirit, he adopted this Park and took it upon himself to nurture it singlehandedly. This involvement is indeed a brilliant example of community spirit and while we say ‘Thank, Mr Luthra,’, we hope that more of us emulate his example.
