I poured my coffee in a much treasured and unused mug that I had bought at the gift shop of the Rock Garden at Chandigarh some 5 years ago . This was perhaps the first time I allowed myself to use it . It has imprint of the giant rubble peacock at one of the walls . I was afraid of breaking the mug so I let it sit for half a decade . Ironically the Rock Garden finds its art and beauty from broken things . Actually a lot of broken mugs, cups and plates are embedded in the artworks of that mesmerising place which remained a simple man’s vision , work and secret for a long time before it became a famous tourist spot.
Nek Chand adorned a secluded part of the city of Chandigarh with art pieces he created from broken discarded material like bangles , crockery , wash basins, tiles , wires and lot more . He saw beauty and positivity in the discarded and the junk . For years, every day after his regular job ,he worked in secrecy single-mindedly without any expectations . It was a beautiful experience visiting the Rock Garden . The news of his passing two years later felt like a personal loss .
Looking at that beautiful mug today I just stopped to think . In a city designed by Le Corbesier with his amazing architectural talent , lived a humble man who secretly turned the broken and the junk into a paradise found.
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