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Rock Garden

The Rock Garden in Chandigarh is the work of a rare genius.  Only a Nek Chand could have created such beauty from sheer waste.  All kinds of waste from pieces of broken bangles and porcelain articles to boulders and electric sockets are made efficient use of producing an aesthetic wonder.  

 Nek Chand was not a trained artist.  Art was his hobby.  He spent his spare time creating works of art in a wasteland he cleared in Chandigarh.  As his work progressed and drew the attention of people, the government was in a conundrum.  How to destroy such exceptional artwork merely because it was built up on land belonging to the government?  Good sense prevailed (strangely!) and Nek Chand was given not only the permission but also regular employment with helpers to assist so that he could create the paradise in the semi-desert that Chandigarh is.

 Below are some pictures from my recent visit to the Rock Garden.
Rocks welcome you

Nek Chand was not only an artist, but he had certain engineering skills too.  He observed the way the architects of Chandigarh built the well planned city and adapted many engineering feats in order to give shape to some of the intricate structures in the Rock Garden. 





Even the amphitheatre is created out of waste materials

 As I sat in the amphitheatre, with Maggie beside me sipping fresh fruit juice to quench the dehydration produced by Chandigarh's merciless sun, I thought why there were so few Nek Chands in the world.  Nek Chand was a man with an obsession, or a passion.  I think all of us have our own obsessions or passions.  But why has money become the single or dominant obsession today?  Does capitalism inevitably make people greedy?  Does capitalism strip people of their nobler passions?  

Will a time come when the human species will evolve qualitatively?  As Bernard Shaw imagined in his superman?  Towards Teilhard de Chardin's Divine Milieu?  

 Nek Chand's Rock Garden gave me some weird dreams.

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  1. Fascinating QuestJune 12, 2014 at 9:09 AM

    Weird Dreams :)
    Not that I speak from experience, but they say that it is those who believe weird/impossible dreams are possible, who make impossible possible - or something like that.
    I visited Rock Garden once. And it is on my list of places my children have to visit. It truly is a special place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 12, 2014 at 6:31 PM

      Everyone should visit the Rock Garden at least once, I think. We may be inspired in many ways.

      Dreams, yes; they do matter much.

      Delete
  2. Paresh KaleJune 12, 2014 at 9:59 AM

    Superb ! Added to wish list !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 12, 2014 at 6:33 PM

      Go ahead and visit the place, Paresh. Avoid summer; 49 degrees won't be the ideal temperature! Rock Garden is near to the Sukhna Lake, another beautiful place - I couldn't savour the beauty of the Lake since I left the Garden only at 8 pm when it was going to be closed.

      Delete
  3. Donna BurmanJune 12, 2014 at 11:11 AM

    Added to mine as well!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Issac WritesJune 12, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    Wowwww....God bless Nek Chand's soul...wonderful work of art....:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 12, 2014 at 6:34 PM

      People like Nek Chand are the really blessed souls, Isaac.

      Delete
  5. Vinay NagarajuJune 12, 2014 at 11:53 AM

    Brilliant! There is so much of character to this place.. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 12, 2014 at 6:35 PM

      Character, you said it. That's why I said "rare genius". This is something exceptional people think of.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJune 12, 2014 at 12:46 PM

    I went to the Rock Garden in 1995. This post took me back to the time when as a kid on summer vacation, our parents took us to Chandigarh and Shimla! Rock garden is truly amazing - it depicts the power of passion! Parul :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 12, 2014 at 6:37 PM

      There's much info about Nek Chand in the Chandigarh Museum too. An aerial view of the Garden is given in the museum and it looks amazing. The photo I clicked in the museum didn't come out well :(

      Delete
  7. Preethi VenugopalaJune 12, 2014 at 4:57 PM

    Nice place..hope to visit sometime..:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 12, 2014 at 6:37 PM

      Plan for the next winter or any season except summer.

      Delete
  8. UnknownJune 12, 2014 at 6:57 PM

    Shila yugathile shilakalkkuellam, chiraku mulachirinnu...chilangakettiya swapnangalkkum chiraku mulachirinnu...by Vayalar is actualized by Nek Chand. go to you tube ..search for songs from film omana malayalam. you can experience the video

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 12, 2014 at 7:26 PM

      You're quite a romantic, Babychetta. I used to call Vayalar the revolutionary of romance.

      Thanks for the you-tube reference.

      Delete
  9. K.A. AcharyaJune 12, 2014 at 7:38 PM

    What a beautiful place. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownJune 12, 2014 at 10:03 PM

    Thanks for this insightful post. Beautiful place and your awesome adds to that beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lancelot QuadrasJune 13, 2014 at 3:10 PM

    Really one of the places i have to visit... Have heard a lot about it..
    Good work by Nek Chand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 13, 2014 at 6:34 PM

      It's worth a visit, I assure you. I spent a hot summer evening there and found it enticing. The other seasons would be bewitching.

      Delete
  12. Ritesh AgarwalJune 13, 2014 at 4:14 PM

    Well that is amazing...another absolutely my kind of a place

    ReplyDelete
  13. RajeshJune 13, 2014 at 11:38 PM

    Wonderful place.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sri KriJune 12, 2015 at 5:51 PM

    Memories bring smiles on our face.This is one of those memories.Had been to Rock garden few years back.Great art work from waste by Nek Chand.
    http://www.srikri.com/

    ReplyDelete

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