As we grapple with the effects of global warming and the detrimental effects of carbon emissions, we are becoming increasingly aware of a ‘greener’ way of life. This has permeated the world of leisure and hospitality as travelers are more conscious nowadays about issues like reducing their carbon foot print and taking volunteer vacations that make a difference. Hotels and airlines are also responding to the growing needs of ecotourism as travelers the world over are embracing this green ethos. Everyone who is interested in ‘green travel’ and ecotourism, should perhaps then make time to visit the wild and wonderful rock garden of Chandigarh which is the creation of a genius of recycling, an artist called Nek Chand.
Origin
Nek Chand was a humble transport official who worked as a Roads Inspector in the Public Works Department of Northern Indian city of Chandigarh in the 1950’s. He believed that everything in nature should be reused and reutilized. In the 1950s, the city of Chandigarh was being constructed under the guidance of famed French architect Le Corbusier and for the creation of this city over twenty villages and other buildings had been razed. Nek Chand as a road inspector had access to the waste dumps and he soon began to collect this industrial waste in a hut located on a little clearing where had decided to fashion a garden.
Discovery
The land he had chosen belonged to the Government and Chandigarh being a planned city, no building was permitted without proper permissions. Nek Chand then worked under the cover of darkness to create a magical kingdom which features mesmerizing sculptures that depict typical scenes from Indian life all fashioned out of waste materials. In 1972, Nek Chand’s illegal park was discovered by government authorities who wished to demolish it but such was the public reaction to this wonderful creation which was fashioned entirely out of wastes that they had no choice but to allow Nek Chand to continue with the creation of his compelling mosaic sculptures.
Nek Chand then began to work in earnest and created a series of large courtyards which were coated in mosaics made of natural stones or shards of ceramic tiles. While he worked on the expansion of his garden, he developed many elaborate ways of waste collection which constituted of the largest recycling programs in Asia at that time.
Expansion
He created his waste wonderland by fashioning sculptures of humans, animals and birds by using old bicycle parts, old crockery, tiles, broken bangles, old clothing and rags. He also built walls built of oil drums, electric plug sockets and old fluorescent tubes. He not only used urban waste but also used natural elements from the rock garden itself as he used the roots of uprooted trees to create sculptures and created a complex of waterfalls with rocks all collected from the garden. This sculpture park today covers 25 acres and is populated by over 2,000 fabulous creatures which include musicians, guards, animals, queens, dogs, horses, bears, monkeys and camels. Nek Chand’s Rock Garden, which is an ode to recycling and a true green attraction of the world continues to attract admirers from far and wide until today.
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This entry was posted on Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 11:38 am and is filed under Asia, Strange. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:00 am
hi, andar here, i just read your post. i like very much. agree to you, sir.
September 6th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Great pictures…did you take all of those yourself? Its amazing how creative someone can be when faced with overwhelming problems.
September 12th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Yes those are personal pictures of this amazingly creative park which is so relevant in a world that is trying to be ‘Green’