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Zilker Park
Vasundhara Varadarajan Abhiveer Annoji
Zilker Park Vision Plan?
The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department are currently leading the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan to involve the community to develop a Vision Plan for the entire 350 acres of Austin’s beloved park.
It is the first comprehensive planning initiative in the park’s 104year history. Learn more about how to get involved in the Vision Plan planning process.
What is the Zilker Park Vision Plan?
Zilker Park is home to many destinations, historical sites, programs, and natural resources and includes Barton Springs Pool, Zilker Botanical Garden, and events such as Blues on the Green and Austin City Limits Music festival, and much more.
The Zilker Park Vision Plan is a community-driven process to plan for the future of the park and will consider many different aspects of the park from conservation to parking to programming to preservation and much more.
Why is it important for the community to participate in this planning process for the Zilker Vision Plan? and experiences and is home to a vast array of natural resources, historical sites, gathering spaces, and destinations.
To plan for the park’s future requires a process that is equitable, inclusive, and includes many different voices and perspectives.
The community feedback will help us have a roadmap to guide decisions for the park so that the future of the park reflects the vision of the entire Austin community.
How can the Austin Asian community help influence this plan and participate in the planning process.? (Continued On Page 27)
Aditri Gautam
READ AUSTIN SOUTH ASIAN
Minar-e-Pakistan is a national monument located in Lahore, Pakistan. The resolution eventually helped lead to the emergence of an independent Pakistani state in 1947. 23 March 1960. Construction took eight years, and was completed on 21 October 1968 at an estimated cost of Rs 7,058,000.
The tower was built between 1960 and 1968 on the site where the AllThe tower reflects a blend of Mughal/Islamic and modern architec-
India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution (Which was latter called Pakistan Resolution) on 23 March 1940 - the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the Muslims of British India, as espoused by the twonation theory. ture.
The tower was designed and supervised by, Nasreddin Murat-Khan a Russian-born Pakistani architect and civil engineer.
The foundation stone was laid on The money was collected by imposing an additional tax on cin ema and horse racing tick ets at the demand of Akhter Husain, governor of West Paki stan. Today, the minaret provides a panoramic view to visitors who can climb up the stairs or access the top, by means of an elevator.
The base is about 8 metres above the ground.
Akbar And Birbal Stories
Who’s Mango Tree is It? Once, two brothers, Ram and Sham, were fighting over the ownership of a Mango Tree. Ram said the Mango tree was his; while Sham said he owned it.
Unable to find a way out, they decided to ask Birbal for help. Birbal analysed the situation and told the brothers to remove all the mangoes, share them between the two brothers, then cut the tree in two equal halves. Upon hearing Birbal, Ram noded, while Sham pled not to cut the tree for he had nurtured it for three whole years. Birbal found who the real owner of the tree was. He said, “The tree belongs to Sham because the very thought of cutting it down troubled him. Someone who has cared for it for three years won’t cut it down immediately.”
Moral
True ownership comes with responsibilities.We are sure that you liked all the above stories as they are not only filled with humour, but also have a lesson to teach. Make a bedtime story-telling routine with your children and narrate these wonderful stories to them every night. They don’t just help family bonding but also help the children gain a different perspective. The tower rises about 62 metres on the base, the total height of the minar is about 70 metres above the ground.
The unfolding petals of the flowerlike base are 9 metres high. The diameter of the tower is about 9.75 meters. The rostrum is built of patterned tiles, and faces Badshahi Mosque.
The base comprises four platforms. To symbolise the humble beginning of the freedom struggle, first platform is built with uncut stones from Taxila, second platform is tions on ten converging white marble Commemorative plaques. The inscriptions include the text of Lahore Resolution in Urdu, Bengali and English, and Delhi Resolution’s text, which was passed on 9 April 1946.
On different plaques, Quranic verses and 99 names of Allah are inscribed in Arabic calligraphy, whereas National Anthem of Pakistan in Urdu and Bengali, excerpts from the speeches of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in Urdu, Bengali and English, along with few couplets of Allama Iqbal include the other
important inscriptions. Tower construction was started in 1960 and it took 8 years to complete in 1968.
The estimated budget to complete the great construction near Rs.70 Lakh (7 million).
Money to complete this project is collected from Pakistani people as to charge 10 to 15 Rs extra tax at theater/cinema. It is the combination of Islamic as well as national culture.
made of hammer-dressed stones, whereas third platform is of chiselled stones.
Polished white marble at the fourth and final platform depicts the success of the Pakistan Movement.
Mr. Mukhtar Masood, a prolific writer and the then–deputy commissioner of Lahore, was one of the members of the Building Committee. Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company.
Services engineer Mian Abdul Ghani Mughal went on to build many other landmarks of Pakistan including Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, City Hospital Gujranwala, Chand da Qila By-Pass Gujranwala, Lords Hotel, and University of Punjab Campus Gujranwala and 9 floors The tower base is shaped like a flower. The monument is covered with parks and flowers. Its location is used for political and religious events. It is also known as “Liberty Tower of Pakistan”.
