In love with the rhymes and rhythms of Chandigarh

Right from my birth I started living close to the lake in this city,

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From untouched beauty to the concrete I have seen it all, what a pity.

As a child, I would take a short walk to watch the sun rise behind the Kasauli hill,

It’s golden rays reflecting and shimmering, playing on the waters still.

The paved streets lined with many a resplendent tree,

Where I would cycle my way home from school zigzag and quite care-free.

Often with friends, slipping out of classes quietly,

We’d go trekking through the hills in Kansal — all the way to Nepli.

The city has grown from thousands to millions, from green to grey,

If only it could save its heritage and its beauty, that I often pray.

In the evening of my life — if you ask me why I wouldn’t live anywhere else?

Watching the golden sun setting in the horizon and hearing the temple’s bells….

I would say with beholden breath —

‘Cause I love my city to ‘death’.

Arvind Mehan, Chandigarh