Go Grand to go home

The hardest step is always the last Except when it isnrsquot We push forth one step at a time refusing to give up till we finally reach the summitIn case yoursquore wondering wersquore climbing the rope tower at the Grand Central Park in Thane It is just one of the many attractions at the 205 acre spread in Kolshet which was thrown open to the public on February 8 It was developed and is now maintained by the Kalpataru Group and is managed by the Thane Municipal CorporationldquoThe idea was to have something for everyonerdquo says Deputy Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Malvi Thane Municipal Corporation ldquoAfter endless planning and relentless efforts the Park now has large green lawns several varieties of trees a park for children and a physical activity area for adultsrdquoApart from the rope tower which is harder to scale than it looks the park is also dotted with a zip lining rig two walls with artificial rocks to climb and small openair gymnasiums in various corners Our photojournalist jokingly tells us we shouldnrsquot have worked out this morning because we have ample opportunity hereThe pinnacle of a long curved bridge offers a splendid view of the many lakes and fountains Wersquore told boat rides will soon commence and an openair auditorium is all set to host live music performances as wellThe Grand Central Park in Kalyan will soon have dedicated cycling tracks fountains and a light showsWe come to a halt at a collection of gardens in the centre and curiosity pins us there Clustered before us are four miniature gardens adjacent to each other each with a different thememdashJapanese Chinese Moroccan and Mughal The Japanese one has a hut with a wooden roof in the centre the Chinese a stone structure The Mughal and Moroccan ones have doors with intricate lattice workldquoWe studied many parks around the world like Millennium Park in Chicago and Hyde Park in London before designing the attractions hererdquo a Kalpataru spokesperson tells us ldquoThe research and designs were planned in collaboration with expert landscape teams and consultants The execution had a few challenges like getting material such as Moroccan tiles or Chinese lava stone or roof tiles Also perfecting the execution details of each gardenmdashlike the flooring pattern in Chinese garden or stone and woodwork in Japanese gardenrdquoNext on the cards he adds is collection of miniature seven wonders of the world in a fourandahalfacre space Right opposite the themed gardens stands the Tree Housemdashthe oldest Banyan tree on this land which like other trees here was preserved instead of being cut down Each tree has a QR code Scan it and it leads to an animated video of the tree talking about itself in first personThe banyan tree has ropes ladders and swings around it turning it into a play space for children Right next to it is a giant chess board tooFor those living in the farflung suburbs there is a similar Central Park in Kalyan Also spread over 25 acres with plush lawns and trees the Park will soon have a dedicated bicycle track fountains and light shows about the Maratha empire We paid the Park a visit and were told the attractions will be operational soonWHAT Grand Central ParkWHERE Kolshet Thane WestWHEN 9 AM to 11 AM 1 PM to 9 PMENTRY R20 tickets for individual activities separate