It’s been 61 years since Chandigarhcame into existence. Though thatnumber denotes a senior age andspells concessions, in the case ofyoung Chandigarh, it tells the mile-stones in the journey of a city thatcommenced with its inauguration

by the first President of India, Dr RajendraPrasad, in October 1953.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, IndependentIndia’s first prime minister, laid down thefounding principles of the new city whenhe said, “Let this be a new town, symbolicof freedom of India unfettered by the tra-ditions of the past... an expression of thenation’s faith in the future.” Chandigarhthus became a part of purpose-built capi-tals in developing countries, a trend seenacross the world in the 1950s in examplessuch as Islamabad and Brasilia. Thesewere cities meant to be modern and fu-turistic in concept. Today, though, a debaterages whether breaking away from con-ventional town planning was prudent.

Separation & birth The birth of the city was conceived imme-diately after India’s Independence in 1947.Following Partition, Lahore, the capital ofundivided Punjab, went to Pakistan leavingthe Punjab on this side of the border bereftof a capital city. It was then decided a newcity would be built. Geographically, an ide-al spot was chosen: on a slightly slopingterrain in the foothills of the Himalayas’Shivalik range with two seasonal rivuletsmeandering in between its space.

A state committee, appointed in 1948under the chairmanship of Punjab chiefengineer P L Verma, was initially told topick a capital from the existing towns ofPunjab. However, none were found suit-

As Asians, we like to be surrounded bypeople and enjoy a certain degree of dis-order and freedom. The rejection of theCorbusier systematic approach can be wit-nessed in the emergence of day marketsthat have now transformed into semi-per-manent kiosks selling the world at bargainprices. Today, they are the most bustlingshopping zones, this despite each sectormarket being almost-complete in itself.

The history of urban living in the Indiansub-continent goes back a few centuries,a period during which it has been influ-enced by diverse people, culture and tra-ditions. It has absorbed it all, but not al-lowed itself to get overpowered. Withpurpose-built capitals like Chandigarh, adissimilar model was followed. This too isin the process of being localised; and theway to move forward in future projects ofurban planning is to blend elements ofpast and modern more judiciously.» See also ‘An architect by choice’ on Pg 5

FEEDBACKWe’d like to hear from you. Do mail us at: sundaydh@gmail.com

We are also on Twitter:@Herald_Sunday

able, failing in categories as defence vul-nerability, deficiency of drinking water,isolation, and the inability to cope with thearrival of a large number of refugees whohad been uprooted from West Punjab.

The present site of Chandigarh, a partof erstwhile Ambala district, was selectedtaking into account various positives suchas its central location, proximity to thecountry’s capital, and among other rea-sons, something that appeals a lot to mostoutsiders now, a beautiful panoramic back-drop of rolling hills and a moderate cli-mate.

Masters & the PlanThe Master Plan of the city, including adetailed design of its lush tree-lined av-enues, was prepared by an American ar-chitecture firm (Albert) Mayer, Whittlesey& Glass which included planner (Mathew)Nowicki. However, the sudden demise ofNowicki in an air-crash put the project onhold with other members of the team notwilling to pursue it. Subsequently, theSwiss-French architect Charles EduardJeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier,who had made noteworthy theoretical con-tribution to urban design in the early 20thcentury, was given the chance to transformhis thoughts into brick and mortar by de-signing a new city on a blank canvas.

Le Corbusier began work in 1951 andwas assisted by three senior architects,cousin Pierre Jeanneret, British MaxwellFry and his wife Jane B Drew. They weresupported by a team of young Indian ar-chitects and planners. Mayer’s Master Planwas developed further by Corbusier whodesigned a number of structures, includingthe Capitol Complex.

A year later, in 1952, the foundation

stone of the city was laid. Chandigarh de-rived its name from the temple of Chandi,the goddess of power, located in the vicinityof the selected site, and a fort or ‘garh’ sit-uated beyond the temple.

Sector by sector “Space and light and order. Those are thethings that men need just as much as theyneed bread or a place to sleep.” — Le Cor-busier . Corbusier’s emphasis was on cu-bical form and surfaces “removed of anykind of ornamentation” for which the“truthfulness of materials of constructions,concrete, bricks and stone” was to bemaintained. Corbusier had made a de-tailed plan for city structures, includinghouses, and among his typical features ishis patent ‘brise-soleil’ or ‘sun breaker’, asun-shade façade that prevents the harshsun glare from overheating a space evenas it allows daylight to stream in.

The precision with which proportion-scale-detail was executed by him has lentthe impression of the city being an artworkin itself, a contemporary benchmark ofarchitecture. He decided to build the citymeant for a population of 5 lakh in an eco-nomical 14,000 acres. For this, he optedfor a grid layout heavily influenced byWestern town-planning, and divided thewhole city into 46 sectors, each measuring800m x 1200m. The city was built in twophases. In the first stage, 29 sectors werecarved out over 9,000 acres, while the re-maining came up gradually.

Almost all sectors were meant to be self-contained units with their own daily pro-visions market, park and school. Therewere earmarked commercial and enter-tainment spaces, and unlike in othertowns, building bylaws were sacrosanct,leading to a uniform look.

Today, what a visitor sees is a well-planned city with broad roads, lovely shad-ed avenues, dedicated cycle paths, gener-ous sprinkling of landscaped gardens anda mixed bag of recreation. The efficientroad network, pleasing surroundings anda general discipline among the populationfor observing rules also awes outsiders.

Capital conundrumPicturesquely located at the foothills ofthe Shivaliks, Chandigarh is known as oneof the best experiments in urban planningand modern architecture in 20th centuryin India. But it’s a fact that is being debatedtoday, as it’s felt the ‘exclusive’, rather than‘inclusive’ town plan, was an alien conceptthrust upon India. Though Corbusierplanned the city like a human body, withthe head (government, judiciary) at thetop end of the city, stomach (shops) in themiddle, lungs (park) near the shops etc,it’s often felt the regimented layout is de-void of a soul. The grid system contrastssharply with the all-encompassing, order-in-disorder feel of India’s traditional urbanplan. By alienating the local populationaccording to economic status, it has beenobserved that the quality of life and envi-

ronment differs significantly between sec-tors, and inside the same sector, leadingto uneven social developments.

Corbusier’s other town planning con-cepts have also been flayed by experts andvisitors alike. Not only is the dominantbrute concrete considered a culturally-alienating feature, the cookie-cutter layoutand a well-numbered sector system, ratherthan being convenient and easy to navi-gate, makes it confusing for outsiders.“Everything is so similar” or “lack of land-marks” is thus an oft-heard grouse.

Chandigarh ushered in an age ofplanned growth, realistic development andefficient management. Though constanteffort is made to maintain that concept,cracks are beginning to show, and one ofthe main reasons is population growth, toaccommodate which high-rises havemushroomed, altering the visual land-scape of the city. Traffic roundabouts, asignificant part of the city layout, have hadto give way to traffic signals on busy inter-sections. Moreover, uncontrolled growthof commercial activity on designatedgreen and open spaces is effectively re-ducing its appearance to other unplannedtowns. Slowly but surely, as a new genera-tion with more money power moves intothe city, the Corbusier model of a city cladin natural material, especially stone orthen concrete, a substance he called mod-ern “molten rock”, is being thrown to thewinds. Whimsical bureaucratic decisionshave also disturbed the city heritage.

CAPITAL NOTES

A design & a designer

Picturesquely located at the foothills of theShivalik range, Chandigarh is hailed as oneof the best experiments in urban planningand modern architecture in 20th centuryIndia. This purpose-built capital standstestimony to the architectural genius of Le Corbusier, the Swiss-French architectwho designed the people-oriented city. BRINDA SURI outlines the architect’s vision

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Chandigarh: A city ahead of its time

Historic past The modern city has a pre-historic past.

Chandigarh was known to be a home to

the Harappans. Geographically too, it

was different to what it is today. The

variety of aquatic and amphibian fossil

remains found here indicate to the

“presence of a wide lake ringed by a

marsh”.

Joint capitalAt the time of the reorganisation of

states in 1966, Punjab was further split

into Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. It

was then that Chandigarh assumed the

distinction of being the capital city of

both Punjab and Haryana, while in itself

it was declared a Union Territory.

Bicycle tourChandigarh is perhaps the only city

with dedicated cycle tracks running

through picturesque environs and little

else can match pedal power to get up

close with the local surroundings.

CITY’S LANDMARKS

n City emblem: Erected outside the

High Court complex is the city emblem,

Open Hand. One of the finest sculptures

dotting the

cityscape, it’s creat-

ed from metal

sheets and

designed in the

form of a huge palm,

signifying the reflec-

tion ‘open to re-

ceive, open to give’.

The monument, quite wonderfully so,

doubles up as a weather-vane, which,

besides playing its role in indicating the

wind’s direction, adds fluidity to what

could otherwise have been just another

inert dedication.

n Modern heritage: The trio of Legisla-

tive Assembly, Secretariat and High

Court, as well as the University, is the

highlight of an architectural trail. These

are notable examples of the Corbusier

concept of town planning and among

major buildings designed by the found-

ing architects. At Panjab University, the

Museum of Fine Arts and the much-

photographed Gandhi Bhawan standing

amidst a pool are central to arty archi-

tecture.

n Rock Garden: From trash to treasure

runs the script of this internationally-

acclaimed spot. This raw art creation, a

wacky maze of rocks and sculptures, is

a quirky counterpoint to Le Corbusier’s

functional, grid-pattern approach.

n Arts Complex, Sector 10: This is a

small yet absorbing space where the

Government Museum and Art Gallery

and the Natural History Museum have

interesting displays. There’s a substan-

tial collection of antique & Indian con-

temporary art, including Gandhara

sculptures, Pahari miniature paintings

and Harappan findings from the region.

Of special mention is the ‘nature in art’

section dedicated to Jogindar Singh’s

collection of embroidery, particularly

rare phulkaris.

n The Le Corbusier Centre, Sector 19:This is the place which was Le Cor-

busier’s office while he was planning

Chandigarh. Now a museum dedicated

to the city’s neo-heritage, it’s also a

one-stop spot for souvenirs.

n Sector 17: What is a city without a

bustling bazaar? The concept of malls

may be sweeping the metros now,

Corbusier, though, had designed the

» Continued on Page 5

THE CITY PLANNER (Clockwise from top left): Le Corbusier with Pt Nehru in Chandigarh, at an Air India counter, with the master plan of the new city, on Sukhna Lake withhis cousin & senior architect Pierre Jeanneret (PHOTO COURTESY: ‘LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND’); (down) Gandhi Bhawan, in the midst of a pool, at Panjab University (PHOTO BY AUTHOR).

An architect by choice...Paris, who introduced to him sophisticatedcontemporary art. Jeanerret thus rejectedcomplex Cubism and came back to pure,simple geometric forms.

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret adopted thename Le Corbusier, that reinstated hisstance that anyone could start afresh anytime he wants to. Having grown into apainter and writer in addition to being aself-taught architect, Corbusier experi-mented a lot with his theories about designand art. Up came Maison Citrohan, a three-storied structure, in collaboration with hiscousin Pierre Jeanneret, a major project inhis architectural career. The double heightliving space, large astute interior spaces,arrangement of living spaces, sun terrace,large external windows, all became quitesynonymous with Corbusier’s architecturalstyle and earned him some popularity.Hence followed a number of private housesfor patrons in and around Paris. Meanwhile,Le Corbusier gained French citizenship in1930.

Villa Savoye (1929-31) is perhaps Le Cor-busier’s most talked about projects thatcompletely complies with his Five PointArchitectural theory. The villa was proppedoff the ground and was supported on rein-forced concrete stilts called the ‘pilotis’.The open planning here was much appre-ciated and the long ribbon windows on theexternal facade gave way to a beautifulview outside. A roof garden on the terracetoo went much with Corbusier’s plan.

Le Corbusier was a great urban plannerand came to the rescue of French officialswith ingenious solutions whilst they weretrying to find a solution to the growingParisian Slums. Not content with design-ing group housing projects, Corbusierstudied city and urban design in detail. In1922, he came up with a great proposalcalled ‘The Contemporary City’, a housingsolution for 3 million inhabitants. This,alas, was too brave a vision for that time.

BUILDING BLOCKS

After World War II, Corbusier carriedforward his vision of urban design on asmaller scale around France, called theRadiant City, Unité d’habitation of Mar-seilles being the most popular one there.

Chandigarh came up as a great opportu-nity at this time, a perfect way to imple-ment his urban design and city planningon a larger scale. He designed the layoutof the city and dealt with a lot of adminis-

It all began in the Swiss Jura Mountainsin 1887. Le Corbusier, the world-renowned architect and city planner,

was born as Charles-Édouard Jeanneret,on October 6, 1887 to Édouard Jeanneretand Madame Jeannerct-Perrct, in a smallvillage of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Being borninto a region that was globally acclaimedas the centre of precision watch-making,and living with a family that had strongprotestant beliefs and undying love for theJura Mountains, young Jeanneret left hisprimary education at the age of 13 to at-tend Arts Décoratifs at La Chaux-de-Fonds, where he would acquire the art ofenamelling and engraving watch faces,just like his father.

It was here at Arts Décoratifs that he methis mentor L’Eplattenier, who taught youngJeanneret drawing, art history and naturalaesthetics of Art Nouveau. It was, in fact,L’Eplattenier who paved the way for Jean-neret’s architectural future. Having taughtJeanneret for about three years, he got theyoung lad involved in local architecturalprojects. L’Eplattenier also encouragedyoung Jeanneret to travel the world, an ad-vice that was well taken. It was his travelsthrough Central Europe and Mediter-ranean from 1907 to 1911 that changed thecourse of Jeanneret’s life. Tuscany taughthim the contrast between expansive andcompact living spaces, Greece taught himclassical proportions, and the Mediter-ranean taught him to play with geometricalforms and set them against light.

During World War 1, Jeanneret decidedto stay in La Chaux-de-Fonds and teach athis school. He also formed his own archi-tectural theories at this time and workedon his early projects, ‘Domino House’ beingthe foundation for the kind of architecturehe practised for the next decade. He thusbegan his own practice with cousin PierreJeanneret. At the age of 30, Jeanneret metpainter and designer Amedee Ozenfant in

trative, government and educational build-ings personally, like the Secretariat, As-sembly and the University.

Corbusier, is much appreciated for hiscontribution to the system of proportion-ing in the form of the Modular Scale thathe evolved from Leonardo da Vinci’s Vit-ruvian man and the golden ratio. Anothercontribution that one cannot forget is Cor-busier’s expression of peace and reconcil-iation, the open hand sculpture. Thelargest one is coincidentally placed in hisrealised urban planning project of Chandi-garh and is popularly known as The OpenHand Monument. Corbusier was an en-thusiastic writer, painter and a furnituredesigner too. His chairs being the mostpopular of the lot. His tapestries were an-other highlight of him as an artist. Onecan see a lot of them on display in the As-sembly building in Chandigarh. A greaturban planner, Corbusier was a foundingmember of Congres International d Ar-chitecture Moderne (CIAM).

Whilst quite a controversial figure dur-ing his lifetime, Le Corbusier has been be-stowed upon with many awards includingthe Frank P Brown Medal and the AIAGold Medal in 1961. The University ofCambridge, too, as a mark of appreciationfor his contribution to the field of archi-tecture, honoured him with an honorarydegree in the June of 1959.

On August 27, 1965 against the advice ofhis doctor, he went for a swim in theMediterranean Sea, France. He probablysuffered a heart attack while in water as hisbody was found washed by the shore. Theworld lost a great architect, painter, writerand a leading figure in the field of ModernArchitecture. With a career extending fivedecades, and buildings constructed acrossEurope, Americas and India, Le Corbusierwill always be counted amongst the mostinfluential architectural figures.SIMRAN CHHIBBER

CITY’S LANDMARKS » Continued from Page 1

shopping hub of the city, Sector 17,

much like an open-air mall, replete

with a piazza, and wanted it to be a

stress-free, ‘pedestrian’s paradise’. A

unique shopping district in the coun-

try, the sector remains true to the con-

cept even as trendy brand-stores re-

place old businesses.

n Sukhna Lake: A man-made lake, it’s

the city’s soul. Fringed by a forest and

the lower Shivalik Hills, ‘picturesque’

seems a word especially coined for it.

Its tranquil environs coupled with en-

tertainment (shikara rides, restau-

rants, toy train and paddle boats)

make Sukhna Lake very attractive.

n Green Belt: The sobriquet of ‘Garden

City’ sits perfect on Chandigarh. Its

green belt, called Leisure Valley, has

been well-sculpted around the central

water system in a linear fashion and

runs through the length of the city.

Over 12 km long, the belt has a num-

ber of attractive theme gardens: Physi-

cal Fitness Trail (Sector 10), Rose Gar-

den (Sector 16), Shanti Kunj (Sector

16), Bamboo Garden (Sector 23) and

Fragrance Garden (Sector 36). Also

worth a visit is the five-level Terrace

Garden (Sector 33). These manicured

spaces are a riot of colour where time

is beautifully spent in the lap of nature.

n Trekking Trail: It’s the city’s best-

kept secret — a pleasant trekking trail

through a reserved forest in its own

backyard. Beginning at Nepli and con-

cluding at Kansal, the 8 km trek has a

pleasant gradient and runs over a few

hillocks, through abundance of flora,

over bridges and past rain-fed brooks.

n War Memorial: It’s the largest in the

country with dedication to martyrs

dating back to 1947. Erected in the

serene compounds of the Bougainvil-

lea Garden, Sector 3, it’s a moving

tribute to the men who guard our

borders and lay down their lives to

protect the Motherland.

BEYOND THE LINES Le Corbusier at work. PHOTO COURTESY: ‘LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND’