At the junction of Gokulam Road and the KRS Road there is small triangular park with a sculpture of a cow and a calf under a huge tree. This is popularly known as Cow and Calf Park. The park may be small in size but it is a part of the glorious history of this city. According to "The Raj, Maharaja and Me" by M.G.Srinivasan, ICS, Nalwadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar was irked by stray cows roaming about on the streets of Mysore. But he also knew that hundreds of families depended on these cows for their livelihood. So all the cows and the families dependent on them were moved outside the city to a place near PKTB Sanatorium which provided adequate grazing grounds for the animals and a dignified existence for the owners. This area is now known as Gokulam First Stage. The park and the statue of Cow and Calf were established to commemorate this event.
Unfortunately, MCC has now taken up the "development" of this park. Six concrete pillars, which cover more than 50% of the park area have been erected for a canopy for the sculpture (See Phooto). Why is MCC wasting an enormous amount of money for an unnecessary canopy instead of spending it to maintain this and other parks in good repair? The canopy will block the vision of drivers at the busy traffic junction and will this not increase the danger of accidents? Will not the canopy encourage unscrupulous elements to convert it into a temple and destroy the park completely?
Prof. R.Chandra Prakash, Mysore Grahakara Parishat