Way to Upcycle! Parks feature monuments and structures made from upcycled metal scrap

Dinosaurs, Seven Wonders of the World, national icons and monuments stand tall in the nation's capital, New Delhi. Perplexed? Don't fret. Replicas of famous monuments, extinct species and national icons made from scrapped metal junk show how repurposing and upcycling is done, Sarita Brara writes.

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It may sound unbelievable, but one can visit several iconic monuments of India and the Seven Wonders of the World in their full splendour without stepping out of the capital—Delhi! What is even more incredible is that all of these architectural marvels have been created from scrap. This is a part of the Waste to Art initiative taken some years back by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) with the twin objective of taking care of tonnes and tonnes of scrap left to rust and using it to create these historic monument replicas in some theme parks of Delhi attracting hundreds of visitors on a daily basis. One of these parks, in Punjabi Bagh of West Delhi, is aptly called Bharat Darshan Park where 22 historic monuments of India have been erected. It feels like one has criss-crossed the country to view all these architectural marvels. Architects, artists, artisans and helpers worked tirelessly for almost two years to construct these historical monuments spread over 8.5 acres of land using 350 tonnes of scrap. While the Gateway of India greets a visitor at the entrance, other monument replicas that have been constructed include the Taj Mahal, Qutab Minar, Char Minar, Khajuraho Temple, Konark Temple, Meenakshi Temple, Mysore Palace, Hampi, Victoria Memorial, Ajanta and Ellora caves, Jagannath Temple, Gol Gumbad, Jallianwala Bagh, Hawa Mahal, Nalanda University, Junagadh Fort, Tawang Gate, Dwarkadheesh, Badrinath Temple, Sanchi Stupa, the famous Banyan tree and a tree bridge and lots more.