Le Corbusier- The Man Who Made Chandigarh
What Jawarlal Nehru had in mind and the constant efforts of Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, the first planned city of India, Chandigarh is the result.
Chandigarh was the brainchild of Pandit Nehru for which he had to go through a lot of efforts. First, Nehru chose a US team of architects and planners, Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki. But, after the latter died in a plane crash Pandit Nehru had to turn to Swiss architect, Le Corbusier. Initially, Le Corbusier was reluctant to join for the project, according to MN Sharma, chief architect of Chandigarh.
One of the first planned cities of the country post-independence, Le Corbusier agreed to design the city from his Paris office itself. He further accepted to visit the city twice a year a year for a month and appointed his cousin Pierre Jeanneret to work full time in India to look after the architecture in 1950.
Le Corbusier wrote to his wife that Chandigarh would be the crowning achievement of his life. There is a grid and order in the architecture of The City Beautiful. The 47 sectors of Chandigarh are constructed as such that it has blocks of 800 by 1200 meters which are an international act of urban planning. The architects created a design of long blocks with vast grid and strictly separated the residential buildings, commercial center, a medical and an university complex, a central park and a recreation center.
The Capitol Complex, an UNESCO world heritage recognised site with three signature Corbusier buildings are designed as such that one can see what Le Corbusier had in mind. However, the tight security reasons hamper the commoners to enjoy a free flowing environment in the foothills of Himalayas. Corbusier had a vision to create The Capitol Complex parallel to Boston's City Hall Plaza, particularly created for celebrations and activity.
Although, the high alert and sensitive area does not allow that to happen. There is a much big difference between the vision that Corbusier had before and after the creation of Chandigarh. The heritage and architectural buildings of the 1950's era are much difficult to visit in modern times. There are a lot of government approvals and authorizations that one has to go through to look at the wonders. Although made for the purpose of general public to visit those areas, the government Raj does not allow that to happen that hampers the common people to look at the 1970's Maryland suburb.
