Witnessing Chandigarh’s journey from tents to towering institutions

I was just six months’ old when my father migrated from Ropar to this nascent city. Now, at seventy, I carry within me a living archive of Chandigarh’s evolution from a barren land to a modern planned city.

My mother often narrated tales about the old Ropar Road, which led to Mani Majra, then a bustling hub of early settlers. The road was flanked by tents and temporary shelters for PWD staff and officers who laid the first bricks of City Beautiful.

Sector 19 saw the earliest permanent structures, modest mud-brick buildings with yellow-whitewashed walls. They housed the Chandigarh Estate Office and the main post office. These buildings were demolished in 1975, but their legacy remains etched in my memory.

Delhi-bound buses once passed through Nagla Bus Stand, long before Sector 17’s terminal became the city’s transport hub. Garbage disposal was primitively managed by a solitary bullock cart and water access was contested, with villagers sometimes hurling stones at newcomers who approached their wells.

The labour colonies in Sectors 30 and 25 were vibrant ecosystems of resilience. Most workers hailed from Rajasthan, led by a community elder, the “dictor” who managed their affairs with quiet authority. After the day’s work, these labourers would gather in the evenings to sing devotional songs. Their Holi celebrations were a spectacle featuring dances with horse-shaped gear that mesmerised onlookers. The women wore ivory-like bangles that caught my childhood curiosity; I later learned they were imitation, yet worn with grace and pride.

As the son of a government contractor, I often witnessed the wage distribution process: labourers lined up patiently, thumb impressions marked registers, revenue stamps were affixed, and cloth pouches jingled with coins. It was a system built on trust and simplicity. Schools for their children were makeshift tents, yet they planted the seeds of learning that would blossom into Chandigarh’s academic excellence.

This city’s soul was shaped not just by architects and planners, but by the hands of those who lived in tents and built with hope. From humble beginnings to towering institutions, Chandigarh’s journey is a testament to human spirit, community and vision.

Narinder Banwait, Chandigarh