Chandigarh known for its culture of following rules, not just Roadies or traffic challans

I was born and raised in Chandigarh. For me this city is not just a place, it is who I am. As an architect who studied at the Chandigarh College of Architecture and then IIT Roorkee, I grew up walking through living lessons of modernism. For us, Le Corbusier is not just a name in history books, his vision is stitched into our everyday life.

When I interned in Geneva, I would beam with pride telling people there that it’s my own Chandigarh’s Secretariat and High Court buildings that sit on the back of their Swiss franc currency note 10 CHF, which is dedicated to Le Corbusier. My colleagues, my neighbours, my banker in Geneva, and even strangers I met on trains across Europe, all came to know that the 10 CHF has buildings from an Indian city on its back i.e. Chandigarh, my city.

The City Beautiful gave an ordinary boy like me the courage to dream beyond boundaries, to travel the world, and to live a life that many only imagine.

But Chandigarh is not only about its architecture. Its people are its true strength. The gentry here is unmatched, one of the most civilised communities in India. Sadly, we are too often reduced to stereotypes of traffic challans or Roadies contestants. The truth runs deeper. In my UPSC interview, I was asked if I feel Chandigarh has no culture, that it feels alien. I smiled and said: Chandigarh has a culture of following rules. That order, discipline and respect for the rules is our identity.

Chandigarh taught us that in Independent India one didn’t need riches to live a quality life. Its civic architecture promised equity and sustainability and excellence in service at a time when mediocrity was the norm. After living in more than eight cities, no place feels like home the way Chandigarh does.

Kamal Passi, Chandigarh