Wide, clean, straight streets- is this really India?

In 1947, British India gained independence from the empire partitioning into the countries of Pakistan and India. The region of Punjab was divided between two countries, with the capitol city of Lahore residing in Pakistan. The Indian government couldn't find a suitable city for the new state capitol so instead decided to create a new city, a model of the modern new country called Chandigarh. It seems the architectural and planning talent in India was as yet a bit underdeveloped, so an American team was hired to plan the new city. After a tragic accident, the famous French architect Le Corbusier was hired, creating a city unlike any other in India. And, well, I wanted to see it!

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Our visit to Chandigarh was really only for a day (or more precisely, perhaps, an afternoon). We took a morning train from Delhi the three hours up to Chandigarh. I knew the Shatabdi Express trains were supposed to be nice, but I must say... we were surprised when we were given a newspaper, water, tea, and even breakfast!

We first visited the City Museum, a nice collection of papers, drawings, and sketches decaying in a lovely Corbu- designed building (also a bit decayed). It was fascinating to see the original telegrams sent between the United States or France and India and to see some of Le Corbusier's original sketches. The city was first planned out by the Americans Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki. At Nowicki's untimely death in a plane crash, Mayer felt the job was too large, and two Indian officials were sent to Europe to find replacements- Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret (Corb's cousin who moved to India for the project), and the English couple Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew. I found the telegraphs and letters quite amusing- such a selection process would never happen today!

(Josh was a good sport...)

Le Corbusier divided the city into 1km sectors or neighborhoods, each with its own grocery store, worship places, school, etc. Set apart, the government buildings were the "head" of the city, while the city center, a pedestrian-only plaza and shopping block, was its "heart". I am amazed that a newly independant country, struggling with so many things including lack of funds was able to complete the project at all. The museum also included original complaint letters between architect and client, which, well, I found mildly amusing.

Do you see any garbage? Because I don't...

From the museum, we took a cycle rickshaw down one of the wide, tree-lined streets to the government buildings. We wandered through the High Court building (after a lengthy stop in a random office to get our camera approved):

(This swiss cheese concrete ramp was a nice feature of the building.)

...through the gardens (an open field) to the famous open hand sculpture (see first photo), and over to the Assembly Building:

(Does this look a little neglected to you?)

The city itself seems to be working quite well. Rents are some of the highest in India, and the city center was teaming with life- teenagers out parading, older couples walking, families out playing. But the buildings, well, all that concrete made them feel rather third-world. We aren't sure how else to put it! Perhaps it's the monsoon climate and the lack of money for upkeep, but they all looked rather "used", unfortunately. Still, we enjoyed the city because it really seemed to work.

One other place we visited was Nek Chand's Rock Garden. Nek Chand, a transport officer, created a small garden from rocks and odd peices of junk he found as hand that grew into a few acres of interlinked courtyards and impressive concrete creations. When the government found out about the illegal development, they decided to give Chand a salary and a crew to keep it going! It was absurd. Fun, but very, very strange!

(People made of bangle bracelets. Other materials included light sockets, cracked dishes, odd shaped stones...)

(This large courtyard was full of families, food vendors, a stage with two dancing teenagers and these pillars that looked like concrete cushions. Odd.)