Rock Garden: A Sustainable Gem in Chandigarh

In this blog, we will be telling you what we learnt on our visit to Rock Garden. This garden is made up of industrial scrap and waste material. It is a vast garden that stretches up to forty acres. It consists of several thousands of sculptures made up of waste materials like broken ceramics, broken glass bangles, earthen pots, broken bathroom sinks and old broken switches.

Nek Chand Saini was a PWD worker employed as a transport official in Chandigarh. He initiated the idea of Rock Garden. Nek Chand was a self-taught artist who had no training in art or sculpting. He began the construction of Rock Garden started in the 1950s. He worked in total secrecy for fear of being caught as he was working in a forbidden area without permission. He created Rock Garden by clearing a small patch of jungle near Sukhna Lake. It was soon discovered by the local authorities and he was asked to discontinue. However, by this time his work had gained enough public recognition and support from the public. Later, his dedication and efforts managed to get him official approval as well.

Rock Garden was opened for tourists in 1976. It is visited by approximately five thousand people every day. Nek Chand was awarded the Padma Shri for Rock Garden by the Government of India in 1984. He was also given the designation of ‘Creator Director’ of Rock Garden.

Rock Garden today plays an important role in spreading the idea of a cleaner India and motivating people to recycle waste. It is an iconic garden as it is one of the few gardens that showcases the concept of creating the best out of waste. We hope you liked our blog and will visit Rock Garden in Chandigarh.

Writen By Akshar Vijay, Apoorv Gandhi, Arnav Swhney, Aviraj Khatri, Divyam Malhotra, Hunar Agrawal, Krish, Kyra Jhamb, Mairav Rehan, Rishit Jhunjhunwala & Samarth Mehra (Scottish High International School, Gurugram).

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