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Sector 17- Heart of Chandigarh
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I have always believed Chandigarh to be a tiny city. 15 minutes and you could traverse it from ends to ends. Landlocked from all sides, it had no scope to grow any further. Its roads were tree lined and designed for leisurely bicycling. Le Courbusier could not imagine a city that could require a road wider than 10 feet in future. His rectangular city with independent sectors and parks and shopping areas were charming, are charming still, but inadequate for future times.
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Scenic Village Kansal where many big banglows have come up
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To begin with, Chandigarh Panchkula and Mohali were stringed together, had a similar character and were called a Tricity. Now it seems to me as if the Tricity has spread, like butter in the sun to include Kharar, Zirakpur, Naya Gaon and Rampur. Tiny villages that were the 'outside' slums like Khajeri, Colony No 1, Ram Darbar, Naya Gaon, Kansal, Hallo Majra, Mullanpur, Dadu Majra have blossomed into prime properties with a mix of old style shanties and grand kothies. Village Kishangarh is drowned by magnificent edifices built thanks to the SEZ endowed IT Park.
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DT Mall in IT Park
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So the city grows, shanties shrink and there is suddenly a crying need for roads to get to places. The side roads and small lanes that hardly ever saw a bicycle whizz by are now beset by all kinds of vehicles, all trying to get to point B from point A, in a tearing hurry and wanting to mow down anyone who comes in their way.
Necessity takes me down roads I never knew existed. I think this every time I take a road between Baltana and Mouli Jagran, cross the railway fatak, turn right and take the narrow curving road that passes the railway station and take a left to reach the transport chowk. From here it is a straight road to Browser, my much frequented spot, in quest of new books to read.
Chandigarh sits like a Koh-i-noor amongst a more modern setting of sometimes crass, sometimes showy borders of noveau localities.
