Something from nothing; the rock garden with a difference - Liz Horsefield

In the planned city dubbed India 's equivalent of Milton Keynes , I was on a mission to visit a huge sculpture park created entirely from rubbish and cement. How could such an amazing tribute to recycling, and a unique artistic creation be possible? And how could such a place establish itself and attract visitors in a country traditionally known neither for its modern art, nor for its willingness to prioritise issues such as re-use of waste? As the Shatabdi Express pulled into Chandigarh , my questions were soon to be answered.

Waterfall at the Nek Chand Rock garden

The Nek Chand Rock Garden is truly an inspiring and wonderful space to explore and admire, and all for a couple of rupees entrance fee. There are at least 5000 sculptures of men, women and children, monkeys, birds, tigers and more. As the route through the park invites the visitor to bend through arches and along passageways, new delights are constantly revealed. I remember being particularly struck by a huge, looming waterfall which appeared ahead, a row of sculpted women with water jars on their heads lining the water's edge. It was only with a double take that I realised the line of men peering down from the top of the falls were not fellow tourists, but also made entirely of chipped tiles and cement.

Women created from broken bangles

The variety of materials used is impressive, some hardly recognisable, others at once familiar but routinely considered useless, broken or ugly. All have been skilfully reworked and carefully displayed on this huge expanse of what was once government land. It began in the 1960s, as the planned city of Chandigarh continued to develop and expand, so too did the work of Nek Chand, initially without any recognition. Thousands of broken coloured women's bangles, bottle tops, used plugs, broken tiles and pots, bricks, old tyres, pieces of metal, plastic and much more has been collected and remodelled over the last thirty five years. And the beauty of the garden is that its creation is still growing, as Chand continues to work on what will be Phase III of the park.

I was at times reminded of Gaudi's architectural wonders in Barcelona , and Chand's sculptures are also at times perhaps reminiscent of Henry Moore, but the park remains an original and thought-provoking concept in the State of Punjab and Haryana. The National Geographic News in 2002 referred to Nek Chand's “ode to sustainable development,” and the visitor cannot help but consider the otherwise much less attractive fate of so much industrial and urban waste.

Open to the public since 1976, and featuring on an Indian postage stamp in 1983, the Rock Garden continues to recycle waste in the name of art, or “engineering,” as Chand himself refers to it. Collection centres and local networks have since been set up, ridding Chandigarh of some of its urban and industrial rubbish, and channelling it into Chand's ingenious and on-going project. Although the city temporarily withdrew the park's funding in the 1990s, it is currently being promoted and preserved both locally and internationally. The Nek Chand Foundation, a registered charity, was set up in 1997 to help raise awareness of the park, and to maintain and develop its construction.

Nek Chand's monkies

An Indian environmental magazine, TerraGreen , thought it strange that the Rock Garden idea has not been developed in other areas of the sub-continent, where recycling is indeed an everyday part of many people's lives. Perhaps it is the sheer scale of Nek Chand's creation, and the atmosphere of tranquillity, without a hint of flamboyancy, that allows his message to rest so succinctly with the visitor to the garden. It is enterprising work, presenting issues of global pollution in what is perhaps a more optimistic and encouraging light than we are used to. We can only hope that the huge numbers of Indian tourists and locals alike will leave the park with an increased awareness of the severity of such issues today, as well as an appreciation of a very touching and inspiring work of art.

Further reading:

“ India 's Vast Trash Garden a Monument to Recycling,” Pallava Bagla for National Geographic News, October 7 th , 2002 .

“Nek Chand: An Early Encounter” by M.N.Sharma, Former Chief Architectof the Punjab State and Chandigarh , Nek Chand Foundation, 2002.

“The Rock Garden, Chandigarh , India ,” Off The Map, Travelogue, PBS