Caretakers of Kamati Baug

With this story, I tried documenting the daily morning routine of the Safai staff of the famous city garden situated in heart of Vadodara - Sayaji Baug. The garden was made public in the year 1879 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. It has always been a major picnic spot for citizens. The Safai staff has been keeping the garden maintained and beautiful for years; When the garden was flooded with thousands of people; or even when the entire city was in lock down and there were no visitors. Though there are very few visitors in the garden nowadays, they work with their utmost dedication every day to keep Kamatibaug the place we all love. Most of us somehow got a break from work in the Pandemic but their work kept going and what happened in the world didn’t matter.

Beautiful kamati baug

Since I was a kid, I have been visiting Kamatibaug and it feels like revisiting my childhood days whenever I go to the garden. It is like the time hasn’t changed in the garden and ambiance it was a decade ago. I have seen these same people working in maintaining the garden, the same Vividh Bharti radio in the background, and the same refreshing environment it offers to the citizens.

Kamatibaug for us is nothing but a symbol of timelessness…