Delhi’s iconic Sunder Nursery – a heritage park complex in the bustling Nizamuddin locality – hit one million footfalls for 2023 last week. 

Built in the 16th century as Azim Bagh and used by the British in 1913 to plant exotic trees, Sunder Nursery has been a witness to Delhi’s changing historical landscapes. But it lay dilapidated for years before becoming a prominent public sphere in the national capital. 

Between 2008 and 2018, through a decade of painstaking conservation efforts, the cultural landscape of Sunder Nursery was redesigned to make space for a 90-hectare biodiversity park that features 20 historic monuments, 300 species of trees, and two amphitheatres.  

For Dilliwalas today, the park offers a sense of belonging, besides being a beacon of the economic potential of built heritage – with the complex hosting events and eateries. 

How did the park grow to hold such importance for Delhi’s people?   

Watch to find out.

Sunny Side Up is a new section that attempts to chronicle stories of success and triumph, against all odds.