Shaheedi Park – India’s first outdoor museum park, New Delhi (Photographer friendly and open late night)
You would be amazed how much amount of scrap is collected by the city authorities in Delhi NCR. But you will not be amused to find out what the authorities do with it. Nothing! Sometimes the scrap keeps lying around for years, wasting precious warehouse space. So when in 2019 when someone came up with an idea to create a “Waste to Wonder Theme Park”, it was a runaway success. Shaheedi Park is built around the same idea but the concept has been taken to the next level.
Note to Photographers – Delhi starts shutting down after sunset. There are precious little places where the lights are left on after sundown. Shaheedi Park remains open till late night.
Location of Shaheedi Park
You will have no problem reaching it as well as finding it. Right opposite Maulana Azad Medical College, it is walking distance from the Delhi Gate Metro Station. The Metro should be your preferred choice of travel to this park. But any mode of transport should do. If you are reaching by car or bike, this place has parking of its own.
Entry/Exit is fairly easy. There is one gate. It is open late night, up to 10 pm. Sunday it opens in the afternoon while Monday it is closed. There is an entry ticket, cash only. There is no separate fee for cameras. When I entered with my GoPro and FujiFilm X- S20 there is a general discussion between the security guards that whether cameras could be allowed or not. That’s how the security behaves at places in Delhi. They will allow a man eating tiger provided he has purchased a valid ticket. But if they see an SLR, they open the rule book. I was muttering prayers under my breath and a sigh of relief when they allowed me to pass.
The concept of creating art out of waste
No one really knows but it is believed that the concept of creating art and sculptures out of scrap came from a park first designed in Kota, Rajasthan. Named the Seven Wonders Park, it has a replica of the wonders of the world make from scrap metal parts. It has a fantastic 4.5 star rating out of 5 from around 30k reviews at the time of writing this article (Feb 2024). That perhaps was also the inspiration for the Waste to Wonder Theme Park at Sarai Kale Khan. Completed in 2019, this park was brought to reality by five artists and around 70 welders using 150 tons of scrap. The popularity of the park and novelty of the idea led to many such parks coming up in and around Delhi NCR. There is one at Ghaziabad, one at Punjabi Bagh and a new one come at Sarai Kale Khan which is themed on dinosaur.
About Shaheedi Park
Shaheedi Park comes as a big surprise. It sets the tone, right at the entrance. A metal entrance with the lettering, “India’s first outdoor museum park”. Once inside, it takes you along a guided tour into the history of India. But here is the interesting part. When does the history of India begin. School text books talk about the freedoms struggle, British Rule, East India Company, Mughals, but that’s about all. Shaheedi Park takes us in a different path. The first sculpture is that of Bharat as a boy slaying a lion. A nice little plaque in front of the sculpture tells the story. This particular sculpture is imposing, standing alone right at the beginning. It sets the tone for the rest of the journey, right into the heart of the history of India.
The next section is for the maharishis and scientists of ancient India. We as Indians should be proud of the fact that when the first school started in approx 598 AD, there were hundreds of gurukuls already functional in India. Education was a big thing. It was always a residential school with wards of kings and commoners studying together under the guidance of a guru. Fancy western style of education puts you under a guru or guide only at Ph D stage. In India it starts from the word ‘go’. Students are taken to a secluded campus where their entire routine is set and it is more of a upbringing rather than teaching.
The next part is the most interesting as well as the most educating part of the park. It talks about the golden age of India and the first sculpture again of metal is that of King Porus on his elephant charging towards Alexander mounted on his horse, Bucephalus. The next one is of Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya.
At this point we need to stop and leave the rest to your imagination or your next visit, should you plan one. The park will take around one hour at a fast pace and at least three hours to check out each sculpture. It is both fascinating as well as enlightening.
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