Standing hand in hand with fellow Bengalureans, we realised we were not just protesting against a tunnel road, we were standing up for the soul of our city. Spread across 240 acres, Lalbagh is far more than a garden. It is home to thousands of trees, rare plants, birds, butterflies, and a unique geological heritage. The 3-billion-year-old Peninsular Gneiss, recognised as a National Geo-Heritage Site, makes Lalbagh globally significant. Every day, thousands visit for morning and evening walks, while weekends bring people from across Bengaluru. Its vast nursery, farmers' produce market, and the world-renowned Lalbagh Flower Show, held twice a year, make it a centre of nature, horticulture, and community life. We are not against development. But progress should never destroy irreplaceable natural and geological heritage. There are better, sustainable solutions for Bengaluru's traffic.

Lalbagh is the green heart and lungs of Bengaluru, our history, our heritage, and our legacy. Once lost, it can never be recreated.

– Asha Balasubramaniam