JUNK ART GENIUS Following Independence, as refugees flooded across the Pakistan border and a newly liberated India made the bold statement that was Chandigarh, one of the new city s road inspectors, a diminutive arrival from Pakistan called Nek Chand, was struck by the amount of waste generated as villages were cleared in the construction of Chandigarh. Chand hauled this matter back to his jungle home and gave it a second life as sculptural material. Eventually he had tens of thousands of forms made of urban and industrial waste, as well as local stone, created by his own hands and the slow forces of nature. His battalions of water women, pipers, chai drinkers, monkeys, cheeky stick men wearing tea-cup hats, dancing women and other characters steadily multiplied in secretly sculpted spaces. Chand s efforts weren t officially discovered until 15 years after they began, when a government survey crew stumbled upon them in 1973. The unauthorised garden was illegally occupying government land and should technically have been demolished, but fortunately the local council recognised the garden as a cultural asset. Chand was given 50 labourers and paid a salary so he could devote himself to the project. Today, the garden is said to receive over 2000 visitors a day. There s a Nek Chand Foundation (www.nekchand.com), raising funds and recruiting volunteers. Chand had no formal leather telecaster cover education beyond high school. In my childhood I used to build mud houses and other toys. He is said to be influenced by modernist masters such as Le Corbusier and Gaudi, but he is clear on the main source of his ideas: they are a gift from God.
Founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru, Ram Das, Amritsar is home to Sikhism s holiest shrine, the spectacular Golden Temple. The gold-plated gurdwara glitters in the middle of its sacred pool of placid water and draws millions of pilgrims from all over the world. A welcome escape from the frenetic leather telecaster cover bazaars, this gilded temple is rated by many tourists as a glowing highlight of their visit to India. Regrettably, the same can t be said for the hyperactive streets! Indeed, Amritsar s crush of fuming mechanical traffi c, especially in the people-packed leather telecaster cover old city, can be downright frazzling.
DON T MISS Join the pilgrimage to Sikhism s serene Golden Temple in Amritsar. Spend some time circumambulating the sacred lake, Amrit Sarovar, partaking prasad leather telecaster cover and generally joining in. Sikhism prides itself on its open and inclusive outlook to all religions and all peoples. Witness the gilded temple during an ethereal sunrise, moody sunset, and when it is sparkling and illuminated at night. Cheer with pumped-up leather telecaster cover patriots as they watch Indian and Pakistani soldiers try to out-stomp, out-scowl and out-salute each other at Attari Wagah s fantastical border-closing ceremony. When in Chandigarh, explore the whimsical world of Nek Chand Fantasy Rock Garden. Reputed to be one of India s top tourist attractions, this recycled wonder world will enthral the kids and may even provide a few ideas for home projects! Top State Festivals
FNational Gallery of Portraits leather telecaster cover ART GALLERY (%2720261; Sector 17-B; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun, free guided tour 11am-3pm) Located behind leather telecaster cover the State Library, it displays photos and paintings illustrating the country s independence movements.
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