Day 154, Chandigarh [Sunday 4th May 2008]
Previous day: Day 153, Chandigarh, Punjab [Saturday 3rd May 2008]
Next day: Day 155, Amritsar [Monday 5th May 2008]
We get a south Indian breakfast (upma, dosa, utthapam) then go to the city museum which documents, in tremendous detail, the history, planning and development by Le Corbusier of the new city of Chandigarh. It's a revelation, a fascinating exhibition which highlights many of hte underlying themes and philosophies of the city which may not be immediately apparent to a visitor, or even a resident. Some interesting facts about Chandigarh:
1. Although heavily associated with Le Corbusier, the original master plan was created by the American architects Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki.
2. The American's idea had been to move away from the severity of the the American grid plan, and so instead used a sofer, curvier grid which, in fact, Le Corbusier later replaced with a stricter, more formal one.
3. No personal statues are allowed in the city. If someone must be memorialised this must be done using a bronze plaque.
4. Le Corbusier's cousin designed the manhole covers.
Although the design of the city is site specific one wonders whether the entire concept couldn't easily be implemented all around the country. It obviously works well. There are some questions left unanswered by the museum, which I feel would definitely be of benefit to such a large, planned city:
1. Why no dedicated cycle lanes? If the city was built for cars, why not make allowances for other forms of transport too?
2. Why no metro or tram system? The city covers a large area, and with an explicitly planned upper population limit of 500,000 it could certainly use one.
We stop at Barista for coffee and a sandwich then get the bus to Amritsar. We drive along the horrendously busy Grand Trunk Road, the air full of pollution and tinged pink as we head towards the setting sun. We stop for a break at the best dhaba in the whole of India — a huge, modern building with a large forecourt, cooled by water=spritzing fans. Stalls sell cold drinks and fresh lassi, there are comfortable, sunken cushioned areas inside and, bizarrely, a full size truck parked in the foyer. Best of all, the toilets are sparkling clean and have toilet paper.
At Amritsar a Sikh bloke from the bus walks us down the road, talks to a cycle rickshaw-wallah and tells us "fifteen rupees, OK, to your hotel." What a nice chap. Outside our hotel I give him Rs. 30 anyway. It really does look like excruciating work, with the pair of us on the back seat plus out two big bags.
Once inside I develop a scorching hot fever, stomach cramps and diarrhea. I curse the chicken tikka sandwich from Barista. Of all the things I've eaten, it's a chicken sandwich from the chiller cabinet at a coffee shop that does me in.
I lay in bed all night alternately sweating and goose pimpled, dreaming the same strange dream over and over again.
Next day: Day 155, Amritsar [Monday 5th May 2008]
Previous day: Day 153, Chandigarh, Punjab [Saturday 3rd May 2008]