The Hidden Harvest: Foraging for food in Bengaluru’s parks, lakes and empty plots

In the tranquil Lalbagh garden of Bengaluru, a serene morning unfolds around 9 am. Gowramma diligently tends to her routine task of watering the plants but goes the extra mile. While removing unwanted grass, she meticulously selects a few sprigs, sprinkles them with water, and carefully stores them in a plastic cover. “These are for my dinner when I return home,” shares the 48-year-old, who has dedicated 14 years of her life to maintaining this park. Everyday she is there from 8am to 5pm.

(from left) Balu N and Govindaraju GV with their foraged herbs (Source: Swathi Nair)

Many other ground staff, predominantly women, engage in foraging within the garden to gather whatever little they can find for their home-cooked curries. Gowramma says, “We used to discover various plant varieties earlier, but with the unpredictable rains, it’s not the same anymore.”