| Waste to Wonder: the quest to create heaven here on earth |
Nek Chand Saini’s Rock Garden is a must-see for any tourist who visits Corbusier’s city. Munish Dhiman catches up with the man whose labour of love is live testimony to art’s ability to survive the inefficiencies — and disinterest — of the State.
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17th Nov 2012
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Nek Chand Saini in the Rock Garden at Chandigarh | PHOTO: Tejinder Singh Bedi
t seems, based on citable instances in history and time, that censoring of artistic production often led to resilient and defiant forms, unceremoniously occupying an immense space in the popular; Nek Chand Saini, synonymous with his vision of an idealised eternity, the Rock Garden at Chandigarh, is perhaps one of the referable Indian ones. In 1975, the Chandigarh authorities declared this unceasing work-in-progress, illegal. Popular opinion, support and visibility contributed towards saving this space from almost being demolished.
Born in a small village called Gurdaspur, in the Shakargarh tehsil (now in Pakistan), of undivided Punjab, on December 15, 1924, Nek Chand and his family arrived in Chandigarh in 1947 amidst the blood-letting and carnage of Partition. It is remarkable, in particular, that this self-instructed artist developed his form, almost independently, and incognito, well outside the ambit of the State. He managed employment as a Road Inspector with the Public Works Department, in 1951, when Chandigarh was being fashioned in the hands of the famous modern urbanist architect Le Corbusier.
In the early '40s Nek Chand would go around collecting bits and pieces on his Victorian bicycle from demolition sites and other places in and around Chandigarh. To begin with, he fashioned figures and statues out of the waste material he collected--broken ceramic sheets, plates, glass bangles, earthen ware, stones, electric tubes. His various escapades led him to a gorge in the forests around Sukhna Lake, where he started laying out the Rock Garden, 'illegally'. After a long, acrimonious contest with State Authorities, the park was registered as a legalised entity and declared open to the public in 1976. Today, the Rock Garden registers a staggering 4000-5000 visitors per day from across the globe.
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ek Chand says that he had no inborn liking for any genres of art as a child, though he would make houses with sand and clay, along with his siblings, and chums. He says "I saw varied divine manifestations in each stone, tree and everything that was created by the Almighty. I never nurtured a dream to create a garden, a la the Rock Garden. I wanted to create the imaginary 'Kingdom of God'. Perhaps that gut feel led to the creation of this fantasy Garden, sprawled over 40 acres of land. As bizarre it may sound, no lay plans or designs were followed to create this wonderland. Everything started taking shape, spontaneously."
The State acknowledged his contribution with conferring the Padmashri in 1984; a postage stamp bearing an image of the Rock Garden was also released in 1983.
The Rock Garden has three phases, which showcases Nek Chand's 'waste' pieces. Surreal images of human beings in the form of dancers, singers, labourers, women carrying pots on their heads, musicians with instruments; along with a fair deal of fauna, including peacocks, monkeys, tuskers, horses, camels, buffalos, deer, and ducks, are on display round the park. It also offers an aside of picturesque valleys, serenading waterfalls and a maze of sidewalks that leave visitors mesmerized. It also houses theatres and pavilions.
A replica of the Rock Garden, named the Fantasy Garden, was inaugurated in Washington DC in 1985, an occasion at which, The Mayor of the Columbia District, declared October 5th to be the Nek Chand Saini Day. When asked how he felt about his success and fame, he said "It feels nice and soul-satisfying. When I see enthusiasts appreciating my work and share their experiences with me I feel immensely humbled. It is always good to see art-lovers from the foreign lands paying a visit to the Rock Garden."
Nek Chand spends a lion's share of his time in the Rock Garden, interacts with people and shares his experiences and listens to their views. He is sometimes nostalgic about his maiden foreign holiday in Paris, where he was fortunate to share his work with other art-lovers. As mentioned earlier, The Rock Garden is a work-in-progress and continues to grow. About new plans, the spirited Chand says, "I wish every visitor experiences peace and tranquillity, away from the maddening din of the cities, in communion with nature during their visit. We are planning to change few pathways for the convenience of visitors. We have plans to convert it into a one-way track so that visitors don't have to route to phase-III for an exit."
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/waste-to-wonder-the-quest-to-create-heaven-here-on-earth
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