Creator of Rock Garden, Chandigarh
Nek Chand Saini gave Chandigarh the soul it so needed. Even in his demise, he ensured, his soul to infuse fresh life in the concrete city. The modern city of Chandigarh, built on an alien design concept of rectangles and straight lines, needed some intimate familiarity. The maze like interconnected courtyards, curved lines of the gorge and the almost sky touching arches of Rock Garden filled this gap to make Chandigarh a breathing, liveable space. It came from the imagination of a single man whose humble stature stood in contrast with his lofty imagination, Nek Chand.
The resolute man who created the divine kingdom of Sukrani, choosing a gorge near the Sukhna Lake, to fill his imaginary kingdom with well sculpted diverse subjects made out of the waste, remained hidden from the public glare like a kingdom of magic for many years. Once the 12 acre ‘illegally built’ space came to public notice, it mesmerised all by the sheer will power of its creator and the raw beauty of his creation. It was a silent statement, characteristically unassuming like its creator, that while the world spent millions of dollars brainstorming how to treat waste, he just did it. The city will always remain indebted to him for the unique gift he left for its denizens, to make them proud of their unique living space.
In the absence of any historical monument in the modern city, if Chandigarh did not have the gift of Rock Garden, the state capital of Punjab and Haryana would not find any claim to fame. Rock garden added to Chandigarh’s unique identity of a planned city by putting it on the world map, as the first such sculpted garden created out of waste, by a single man’s endeavour.
More than this tangible gift, he set an example for the creative fraternity around the world, to let their work speak for them. In his quiet manner, he fought for the rights of Rock Garden, against all odds he stood like a rock, silent, patient and resolved. The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Academy joins the denizens of the city in mourning the irreparable loss of the icon, and expresses its deep condolences for the members of the Saini family.
(contributed by Vandana Shukla)
www.lalitkalachandigarh.com
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