On 14^th March 2019, FSL-India’s Mysore Coordinator organised a Cultural Event (CE) for our regular LTV volunteers. Every month, we organise a cultural event for our regular volunteers and we take them to any cultural and historical places which are located in and around Mysore. This month, the Cultural Event was focused on the theme of Nature, Brindavan Gardens and KRS Dam.

The Brindavan Gardens is located in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka, India. It lies adjoining the Krishnarajasagara dam which is built across the river Cauvery. The work on laying out this garden was started in the year 1927 and completed in 1932. Visited by close to 2 million tourists per year, the garden is one of the major attractions of Srirangapatna. The garden is maintained by the Cauvery Niravari Nigama (Cauvery Irrigation Department), a Government of Karnataka enterprise. It is spread across an area of 60 acres (240,000 sq mi). Adjoining it is a fruit orchard spread across 75 acres (300,000 sq mi) and 2 horticultural farms, Nagavana (30 acres) and Chandravana (5 acres).

The garden is laid out in 3 terraces which contain water fountains, ficus trees, foliage plants such as Durantaplumaria and Euphorbia, and flowering plants like Celosia, Marigold and Bougainvillea. The garden is open to the public and an entry-fee is charged. The garden also has topiary works (sculptures of animals created by clipping shrubs), pergolas (shaded passageway covered by creepers) and gazebos. The main attraction of the park is the musical fountain in which bursts of water are synchronised to the music of songs. There is also a lake within the garden, with boating facilities available for visitors.

In the morning, FSL-India’s coordinator and the volunteers started their travel from the meeting point to the place of the cultural event.  In the beginning, the Coordinator explained about the activities. Then, he took the 3 volunteers to different places and explained to them about the places. After the visit, the FSL-India Coordinator and volunteers had lunch, and discussed about their experience in the host family and project.

Here is some feedback about the Cultural Event from our volunteers:

• Very good cultural experience
• It was the best experience 
• Someone told me to visit this, but it was organised by FSL-India. Am very happy to have this activity.