India’s only wildlife arena under flyover completes one year

By Anuksha Dey

What better way to celebrate Karnataka’s rich indigenous wildlife than through an art form as integral to its heritage as the rangoli. The Ugly Indian, an anonymous group of volunteers engaged in beautifying Bengaluru, has planned a day full of creativity and art on February 6 (Saturday) at Veerannapalya to commemorate the first anniversary of India’s first wildlife arena under a flyover. They have organised the Rangoli Habba Under-the-Flyover to bring the city’s people together.

The Rangoli Habba

The rangoli festival is scheduled to start at 9am and is open to all. All materials will be provided by the organisers at the venue. “We are expecting over 100 participants along with BBMP officials,” the event coordinator told Residents Watch. The event will be in accordance with the Covid protocols. All participants have to wear masks, carry sanitisers, and follow social distancing. 

The first wildlife-themed arena

The Wild Arena is India’s first wildlife-themed public space exhibiting dynamic models of a tiger and an elephant, the two key jewels of Karnataka’s biodiversity. The project was inspired by the documentary Wild Karnataka. The task to rejuvenate the former black spot into a wildlife-themed display area was done by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in collaboration with L&T Technology Services as part of the Adopt-A-Street project. 

The Veerannapalya flyover area was revamped by the organisations in 2018. Two years later, the wildlife area was added under the bridge as part of phase two of the beautification process. The arena lies at a crucial junction under the bridge near the Manyata Tech Park. 

An eco-friendly endeavour

The construction of the wildlife area by Evolve Architects was done with an ecological footprint in mind. While the statues at the Wild Arena are truly a work of art, the display area was created using recycled materials from projects in other parts of the city such as Cubbon Road, Palace Road and Vijayanagar. The minimal landscaping in the area too is meant to reduce the use of water.