Thu, Oct 22: Delhi to Chandigarth

October 22, Thursday – Delhi to Chandigarh

Today we drove from Delhi to Chandigarh as a midway point on our way to the hill stations in the Himalayan foothills.  As usual, we saw interesting modes of transportation.

Chickens going to market.

Chandigarh turned out to be a bit of a pleasant surprise as Tara had informed us that the sights were minor.  It was India’s first planned city with construction starting in the 1950’s. 

The first stop was Sukhna Lake, a manmade lake with an island, a long wide promenade circling the lake, and lots of colorful paddle boats.  

Other than a magnificent old tree that dipped from the promenade into the lake it was just an ok sight.

The real surprise was the Nek Chand Rock Garden that was described to us as being made out of “waste material”.  That sounded pretty uninteresting but was in fact pretty fascinating.  The garden had no flowers to speak of and very few trees.  What it had in abundance was arches, walkways, stairs, some fountains and water runs, and statuary galore…all made out of” recycled” materials. 

Most of the rocks came from the excavations when the city was built.  Many walls were tiled with pieces from porcelain bathroom fixtures, others with pottery shards.  You could even see cup handles and the manufacturer's stamps on the bottoms of the plates.  

Several walls were covered in porcelain electrical plug fixtures. 

The statuary was made of many types of materials including porcelain shards, rocks,

and pieces of the bangles (bracelets) worn by so many Indian women.  

Statues made from bangles.

And there was an entire “zoo” with many animal species made from the same types of materials.  It was really interesting.  Such creativity.

Following this we went to the Capital Complex.  Chandigarh is the shared capital of the Haryana and Punjab states with the border between the two states running through town.  The Capital Complex was one of the first areas built in the city.  The Open Hand Monument is 85 feet high and can rotate in the wind like a weather vane.  

We walked by the High Court and the Legislative Assembly building.  Both were closed for the holidays but were pretty impressive. 

Massive entrance doors to the Legislative Assembly Building.

The city was in the middle of celebrating the Dussehra Festival and we drove by a large field with hundreds (thousands) of people getting ready to celebrate.  The effigies in the field were the largest we had seen.

The last stop of the day was a visit to an orphanage, Bal Niketan, owned by one of Tara’s many (31) first cousins.  When we arrived the children greeted us with red roses and a warm welcome.  

We got a tour of the facility and then went out to the lawn to watch and participate in the Dussehra festival rituals.  On this day Lord Rama killed the demon-king, Ravana and rescued his abducted wife - Sita.  In other words, it signifies the triumph of good over evil. First we tossed seeds and foods on the effigy of Ravanna in thanks for all the good things that had happened during the year.  

The effigy was then torched, signifying the death of Ravanna, and also to cleanse the bad things that had happened the previous year.  Turns out there were firecrackers inside the effigy.  So it was a pretty spectacular event. 

Afterwards the children put on a show of songs, dance, and jokes.  And “graduates” from the home put on a dance. 

Watch video in new large window.  

Watch video in new large window.  

The orphanage is home to 45 boys and girls ages 4 to 18.  The program makes sure all of the children get a good education and many go on to get college degrees.  While the government does not allow the children to stay beyond age 18, the program supports them through college, makes sure they get jobs and helps them find spouses.  In India marriage is very important for success and security.  Since parents are traditionally heavily involved in helping select spouses, the home fills the role as parents.

We then had dinner, cooked by the school cook who has been with the home for over 30 years.  He and his one assistant work in a very small kitchen and make three meals a day for the 50 or so at the school (children and staff).  And the food was awesome.  It was a great way to finish the day.