Chandigarh, one of the most modern cities of India, is the capital of Punjab and Haryana. Chandigarh, by herself, is a centrally administered State. So, it has the dual status. It is a city-State.
I came to Chandigarh in 1977 at the instance of the Press Baron Ramnath Goenka to be the Manager of the Indian Express, Chandigarh Edition. Kuldip Nayar, the veteran journalist, was the Resident Editor. Prabhash Joshi, a Hindi journalist, also became the Resident Editor after Kuldip Nayar left for the Delhi Office of the Indian Express. As the Manager, I was responsible for all aspects of management, including Circulation and Advertising. Sekhar Gupta, the Editor-in-Chief of all editions of Indian Express was recruited by me in 1977 as a trainee reporter. Vijaya Krishnamoorthy was his colleague, who had some problems with the Punjab University, Chandigarh. Indian Express was not able to enter the University campus. I had a talk with Professor Paul, the Vice-Chancellor, and solved the problem.
Chandigarh is famous for the Rose Garden and the Rock Garden. Mohali is not very far from Chandigarh. The Tagore Theatre is the venue where many plays are staged. Uttara Baokar and other famous artists are commissioned by the Tagore Theatre. The main shopping area is in Sector 16. All the Sectors have their respective architectural controls, so that when permission is sought by someone to build a house in any Sector, he or she has to conform to the overall architectural ambience of that Sector. Bhubaneswar and Chandigarh were built at the same time. In comparison to Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar looks like an urban slum.
The Punjabis of Chandigarh are different from the Punjabis of Delhi. The Chandigarh Punjabis are more friendly and cosmopolitan. The Sukhna Lake adds charm and beauty to Chandigarh. Then, there is the Chandi Mandir, according to whose name, the City got its name.
The Central Instrument Organisation of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is a unique research centre, where delicate scientific instruments are made as proto-types and are standardised. Our reporters had some problems with the Director of CSO, and eventually it was established that our people were on the wrong side.
Chandigarh gets very hot in summer and extremely cold in winter. Shimla is not very far, and its climate influences the climate of Chandigarh.Once we had driven to Shimla when it was snowing there. It was really an unforgettable experience.
I have many friends in Chandigarh - in the University, Indian Express, Tribune and in the Jana Sikshan Sansthan of the Government of India. I miss them very much.