A modern city, newly made with very systematic roads and sectors was what we were taken to see in a school excursion.
The city was none other than the Le Corbusier planned modern Indian city of Chandigarh.
’’Chandi’’ is another name of the goddess ’’Durga’’.
’’Garh’’ means house.
Thus Chandigarh literally means the abode or home of the Goddess ’’Chandi’’ or ’’Durga’’.
What I remember of Chandigarh is the systematic lay out of the roads and the houses built in blocks style.
In one of the new sectors there were two cinema halls one above the other.
We went to see a movie in one of the halls-’’Run silent, Run deep’’.
Across the road on the corner was a new Restaurant-we enjoyed the iced coffee-perhaps my first sip of cold coffee. The year was 1962, just before the India-China war.
The secretariat building was big.
There was a lake nearby, which was being developed as a tourist and recreational centre.
The visit to the rock garden, with the artistic figures and things created by Shri Nek Chand, from broken pieces of items like crockery, bangles, pots, stones etc., was interesting.
We had an excursion to the Nangal water works on the river Sutlej.
The irrigation canals appeared to start from here.These canals for irrigation were to bring about the green revolution in Panjab.
We also went to see the Bhakra nangal Dam on the river Sutlej.
It was the beginning of the multipurpose dams, for irrigation, water supply, and development of hydel power.
The excursion to the old Mughal gardens at Pinjore was memorable.
Nearby there were some industrial units-which heralded the beginning of the small industrial revolution in India.
I visited Chandigarh for a few hours on way to Bara Lacha La pass via Kulu, Manali, Rohtang pass, Khoksar, Keylong and Jispa in Lahaul( Himachal Pradesh) in 1978 October. It was a bustling city.
There is a good cricket stadium at Mohali near Chandigarh.Panjab has lot of cricket and the players are tough.It has produced some very good international level players for India.
Chandigarh is the hub of political activity for both Panjab and Haryana since it is the capital of both Panjab and Haryana states.