A Taste of Waste
Then again, there are those who have dedicated their entire lives to creating heritage, some of it fashioned out of rubble, even. Nek Chand Saini, the creator of the globally feted Rock Garden in Chandigarh, is one such soul. Displaced during the partition of India in 1947, his family moved here at a time when the City Beautiful was being envisioned as India’s first planned settlement. Not much later, he found employment as a roads inspector with the Public Works Department. Thereon, he began picking up the pieces. Quite literally.
He ferreted through refuse material at construction sites and discarded waste mounds to collect broken china, bicycle parts, bangles, rusty coins, electrical plugs and used bottle caps, in order to create his ‘kingdom for gods and goddesses’. Working in complete secrecy, amidst a hidden forest clearing, this self-taught artist sculpted life-size figures of men, women, animals and birds; using stones, cement and an assortment of waste.
Following the chance discovery of his sensational albeit unlawful work in 1975, a good quarter of a century after he had commenced with it, he was appointed the Director of the Garden. Additional staff, and acreage, was provided to him so he could direct all his attention and energy towards further development. Even today, the sprightly octogenarian can be found strolling around his vast artistic domain – comprising thousands of sculptures, mosaic courtyards, walled paths and waterfalls – supervising amongst other things, and by sheer force of habit, the collection of litter!
A recent invite for their inaugural event by Child and Youth Friendly Chandigarh, a students’ initiative spearheaded by siblings Divjot and Harsimar Singh, resulted in an insightful interface with Mr. Nek Chand, too. Equipped with a keen sense of humour, evident through his exchange with the children from the SOS Village, Rajpura, he, justifiably so, displayed a great deal of pride in his amazing handiwork. He also took the subsequent photo-opportunity to encourage his eager young audience to adopt eco-friendly habits. Later, over tea in his den – a veritable cornucopia of memories – he regaled a somewhat older audience with countless stories from a life full of ‘wasted’ interests.