Nek Chand

Nek Chand was a self-taught Indian artist who created the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, a visionary environment of sculpture and architecture made from recycled materials. He was born in 1924 in Berian Kalan, a village in Punjab that is now part of Pakistan. He moved to India with his family during the Partition in 1947 and settled in Chandigarh in 1955. He worked as a roads inspector for the Public Works Department and witnessed the construction of the new city designed by Le Corbusier. In his spare time, he began to collect waste materials from demolition sites and transport them to a forest clearing near Sukhna Lake. There, he secretly built his own vision of a divine kingdom, inspired by his childhood memories and Hindu mythology. He used cement, sand, broken glass, bangles, crockery, mosaic, iron slag, and other discarded items to create thousands of sculptures of dancers, musicians, animals, gods, and goddesses. He also arranged natural stones into various shapes and forms. He hid his work from the authorities for 18 years until it was discovered in 1975. His work was illegal and faced the threat of demolition, but he managed to get public support and official recognition for his creation. In 1976, the Rock Garden was inaugurated as a public space and Chand was given a salary, a title, and a workforce to continue his work. He expanded the garden to cover 25 acres and added waterfalls, gorges, streams, amphitheatre, and other features. He also set up collection centers around the city for waste materials and trained unskilled laborers to assist him. The Rock Garden became one of the most popular tourist attractions in India, second only to the Taj Mahal. It also received international acclaim and recognition as a unique example of outsider art. Chand received several awards and honors for his work, including the Padma Shri in 1984. He also exhibited his sculptures in various countries and donated some of them to museums and institutions. He died in 2015 at the age of 90 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He left behind a lasting legacy of creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance.