Southern Avenue, now renamed Dr Meghnad Saha Sarani, is one of the most important and prestigious avenues in south Kolkata connecting Gol Park with Kalighat.It falls under the posh Ballygunge area. It is a 3 k.m. long road with a centre boulevard that runs east to west from Gariahat Road on the east to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road on the west touching Sarat Bose Road (near Lake Stadium) on its way..
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Rabindra Sarobar, earlier called Dhakuria Lake/Ballygunge Lake, an artificial lake, is on Southern Avenue. It comprises areas leased to several rowing clubs and cricket academies, a Safari garden, a virtually defunct children's park and play center (Lily Pool) an open air theater Nazrul Manch, swimming pool training centres, etc. Many prominent Roads either originate from or merge into Southern Avenue on its course either to its north or south, namely Keyatala Road, Jatin Bagchi Road, Lake Road, Lake View Road, Sarat Chatterjee Avenue, Lake Avenue, Lake Place, S R Das Road & Janak Road. Southern Avenue is dotted with beautiful private bungalows and several high rise apartments like 'Green View', 'Abhisarika', 'Ananda', 'Ashoka', 'Avenue House', 'Sarobar', 'Lake Towers', 'Arihant Garden' and the upcoming 'Fort Legend', to name a few. The lush green boulevard and tree lined sidewalks and the pristine surroundings of the lakes makes it a very sought after location in South Kolkata.
One of the important places on the avenue is the Birla Academy of Art and Culture Museum which was established in 1966. Collections include paintings of the mediaeval period as well as modern art and some archaeological specimens. The Museum holds regular exhibitions of modern Indian sculptors and painters.