Back to India? (Chandigarh, September 17-18, 2008)

From McLeod Ganj I take an 8 hour bus to Chandigarh. McLeod felt very different from the dirty streets of Delhi, crowded and noisy with auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws, trucks, pedestrians, cars and even cows. Chandigarh feels more like India--It is warmer, and there is no Tibetan presence. Still, it is India's only planned city, and its population has the highest rate of education and income. The city was planned by a French architect, Le Corbusier, after India's independence. The streets are clean and neighborhoods are divided into sectors.

The highlight of Chandigarh is visiting a friend from Milwaukee, Vipul Vohra, and his family. When he picks me up at the bus stand, he has a surprise: "In my car is the woman I am planning to marry!" he tells me. I am honored to meet Neeha, as well as Vipul's parents and relatives. They are so good to me and make sure I don't leave hungry. "Eat, eat...you are too shy...take more." We have an evening dinner at Vipul's uncle's house, and the food is excellent.

The next day, Vipul, Neeha and I visit Chandigarh's fantasy rock garden, designed by Indian sculptor Nek Chand and dedicated to "the imagination of the Indian people." We explore the labyrinthine garden's nooks and crannies, finding nice photo opportunities in the few spaces not saturated with young Indian visitors. At first the garden seems to be simply a maze with colorful pastel walls lined in the porcelain tiles from toilets, and interesting shapes formed by rocks and trees along the way. Eventually, small, playful sculptures of whimsical animals and people emerge--it seems like a hundred monkeys, then a hundred giraffes, then a hundred horses, then a hundred men, then a hundred women...all made of distinct materials. The women's saris are made of broken bangle bracelets. After the rock garden, we pay a short visit to Sukhna Lake, an artificial lake that was created as part of Le Corbusier's master plan for the city.

Vipul and Neeha drop me off at the bus stand, and I carry with me small gifts from his family, fresh fruit they have given me, and wonderful memories!