JIET GROUP OF INSTITUTION
JODHPUR INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
NH-65, NEW PALI ROAD, MOGRA,
JODHPUR (RAJ)
INDUSTRIAL VISIT REPORT
Submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
OF
RAJASTHAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, KOTA
VIST PLACE: - HAVELLS INDIA Ltd.
SUBMITTED BY
Roll number
01-18
SUBMITTED TO
Prof. M.R.Baid
HOD
Mechanical Engineering
INDUSTRIAL VISIT TO HAVELLS INDIA LTD.
We were taken for an Industrial Visit to Havells India Ltd., Baddi. Prof. R.S. Chatrawat
organized the visit and accompanied students. The visit lasted for 3 hours from 10am to
12pm. On arrival, students were given a hearty welcome by company official team were led
to the company conference hall where a presentation containing the profile of the company,
aims, objectives & manufacturing in detail was presented to the students. The visit was
divided into 3 groups of students.
The students were taken to manufacturing & assembly unit of MCB (Miniature Circuit
Breaker) wherein they got the chance to see how MCB is manufactured & assemble & then
they were taken to packing section to see labeling process. The whole manufacturing process
was very well explained by a Quality Control Engineer.
Company profile:
Havells India Ltd. is a billion-dollar-plus Indian electrical equipment company founded at
1958 in Delhi, India by Mr. Qimat Rai Gupta. Products ranging from industrial & domestic
circuit protection switchgear, cables & wires, motors, fans, power capacitors, compact
fluorescent lamps (CFL), and luminaries for domestic, commercial & industrial applications,
modular switches covering household, commercial and industrial electrical needs. The
company is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and forms part of the BSE500, BSE CG
and BSEMIDCAP stock indexes.
Havells owns global brands like Crabtree, Sylvania, Concord, Luminance, Linolite & SLI
Lighting. Havells has 91 branches representative offices and over 8000 professionals in over
50 countries. Its seven manufacturing plants in India are located at Haridwar, Baddi, Noida,
Faridabad, Alwar, Neemrana, and 8 manufacturing plants are located across Europe, Latin
America & Africa. It has a 20,000 strong global distribution network.
History of the company:
1958: Commenced trading operations in Delhi.
1971: Bought HAVELLS Brand.
1976: Set up the first manufacturing plant for Rewireable Switches and Changeover Switches
at Kirti Nagar, Delhi.
Havells in the year 1976.
1979: Set up a manufacturing plant for HBC Fuses at Badli, Delhi.
1980: Started manufacturing high quality Energy Meters at Tilak Nagar, Delhi.
1983: Acquired Towers and Transformers Ltd. and turned it into a profitably manufacturing
Energy Meters Company in one year.
1987: Started manufacturing MCBs at Badli, Delhi in a Joint Venture with Geyer, Germany.
1990: Set up a manufacturing plant at Sahibabad, UP for Changeover Switches.
1993: Set up another manufacturing plant at Faridabad, Haryana for Control Gear Products.
1996: Acquired a manufacturing plant at Alwar, Rajasthan for Power Cables & Wires &
entered into a Joint Venture with Electrium, UK for manufacturing Dorman Smith MCCBs
and Crabtree Modular Plate Switches.
1997: Acquired Electric Control & Switchboards at NOIDA for manufacturing customized
packaged solutions.
1998: Introduced high-end Ferraris Meters in Joint Venture with DZG, Germany.
2000: Acquired controlling stake in Duke Arnics Electronics (P) Limited engaged in
manufacturing of Electronic Meters-Single Phase, Three Phase, Multi Function, Tri-Vectors.
Acquired controlling interest in an industry major-Standard Electricals Ltd.
2001: Acquired business of Havells Industries Ltd, MCCB of Crabtree India Limited and
merged ECS Limited in the company to consolidate its area of core competence.
2002: Standard Electrical Company becomes a 100% Subsidiary of the company
Attained the IEC certification for Industrial switchgear and CSA certification for all
manufacturing plants.
2003: Set up manufacturing plant at Baddi (H.P.) for manufacturing of Domestic Switchgear.
Set up a manufacturing plant for manufacturing of CFL at existing manufacturing plant in
Faridabad, Haryana.
2004: Set up a manufacturing plant for manufacturing of Ceiling Fans at Noida, UP. Set-up
their own marketing office in London through their wholly owned subsidiary company
Havells U.K. Ltd.
2005: Set up manufacturing plant in Haridwar, Uttaranchal for manufacturing Fans.
2006: Crabtree India merged with Havells India. Added CFL production unit in Haridwar
manufacturing plant. Expansion at Alwar manufacturing plant for increase of production
capacity. Expansion at Baddi manufacturing plant and set-up of an Export Oriented Unit.
First Company to get the ISI Certification for complete range of CFLs.
2007: Set-up of Capacitor manufacturing plant in Noida, UP. Acquired the Lighting business
of a Frankfurt based company "Sylvania", a global leader in lighting business and now the
company's turnover crosses US$ 1 Billion.
Havells at that time was best known for its electrical switches, energy meters and miniature
circuit breakers (MCBs), while SLI Sylvania was a renowned yet under-leveraged European
lamps and fixtures brand. In March 2007, Havells acquired SLI Sylvania of Netherlands for
$300 Million, making it the fourth largest lighting business in the world, worth over a billion
USD.
2008: First Indian CFL manufacturers to have adopted RoHS, European norms on Restriction
of Hazardous Substances in CFLs. Set up of Global Corporate office, QRG Towers at
Expressway Noida.
2009: Set up of fully automatic 2nd unit for switchgear manufacturing at Baddi.
Global consolidation of CFL manufacturing plant at Neemrana for domestic and export
purposes.
2010: Inauguration of fan manufacturing unit 2 at Haridwar. Global Launch of LED products.
Acquired 100% interest in Standard Electricals. Sets up Worlds First New Generation CMH
Lamp Plant at Neemrana.
Havells India Ltd., Baddi.
Board of Directors:
1. Qimat Rai Gupta (Chairman and Managing Director)
2. Anil Gupta (Joint Managing Director)
3. Surjit Gupta (Director Operations)
4. Ameet Gupta (Director International Marketing)
5. Rajesh Gupta (Director Finance)
Organizational Structure:
Head Office,Noida
Branch Office
North
Chandigarh,Ludhiana, Jaipur, Kanpur, Dehradun
Branch Office
East
Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Ranchi, Siliguri
Branch Office
West
Ahemdabad, Bhopal, Indore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Raipur, Surat
Branch Office
South
Calicut, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hydrabad, Kochi, Madurai, Trivandrum
Branch Office
Abroad
London, Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, Sri-Lanka, Dubai
Certifications / Approvals:
ISO-9001 : 2000 (all manufacturing units)
KEMA KEUR, NETHERLANDS
CE, EUROPE
Smark, SWEDEN
CSA
CB, EUROPE
SEMKO
SIRIUM (Malayasia)
SPRING (Singapore)
TSE (Turkey)
SNI (Indonesia)
EDD (Bahrain)
Major Clients of Havells India Ltd.:
ICICI PRUDENTIAL.
IDEA COMMUNICATION.
DLF.
INFOSYS.
ANSAL-API.
PARSVNATH.
RELIANCE INDUSTRIES Ltd.
BHEL.
BSNL.
L&T.
TCS.
VODAFONE.
INDIAN RAILWAYS.
AIR INDIA.
CANARA BANK.
MARUTI SUZUKI.
NTPC.
ADITYA BIRLA GROUP.
TISCO.
ASHOK LEYLAND.
EICHER.
HPCL.
INDIAN OIL.
HCL.
MAHINDRA.
VISHAL MEGAMART.
RELIANCE- ANIL DHIRUBHAI AMBANI GROUP.
Product Profile:
Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs):
Miniature Circuit Breakers have precisely formed moulded case & cover of flame retardant
high strength thermo-plastic material having high melting point, low water absorption, high
dielectric strength and temperature with stand.
The Switching Mechanism is independent, manual and trip free, i.e., the breaker trips
internally even if the operating knob is held in ON position.
The Contact Mechanism comprises of fixed & moving contacts specially designed for
reliability, long life and anti-weld properties.
The Arc Extinguishing Device comprises of 15 plates arc chute. The arc under the influence
of the magnetic field and arc guide is moved into the arc chute where it is rapidly split and
quenched.
The tripping mechanism is Thermal Magnetic Type.
The thermal operation provides protection from moderate overloads. Under overload
condition, a thermo-metallic element (bimetallic strip) deflects until it operates a latching
mechanism allowing the main contacts to open.
In magnetic operation, large overloads or short circuit current actuates a solenoid causing a
plunger to strike the latching mechanism rapidly opening the main contacts.
Internal view:
Technical information:
Standard Conformity
Type / Series B C
IS 8828 / IEC 60898-1 / EN 60898-1
C
Rated Current (In)
6-40
0.5 - 63
0.5 - 63
Rated Voltage
240/415
240/415
240/415
Rated Frequency
50
No. of Poles (Execution)
1P, 1P+N, 2P, 3P, 3P+N, 4P
Terminal Capacity (max)
25
Vibration
Shock
40mm free fall
Installation Position
Vertical / Horizontal
Mounting
Clip on DIN Rail (35mm x 7.5mm)
Case & Cover
Moulded, flame-retardant thermoplastic material.
Rated Insulation Voltage
660
Rated Impulse Voltage
Mini MCBs:
Havells Mini MCB is a single composite device, which provides, protection against overload
and short circuit faults. It is designed with unique mounting concept, for use in domestic &
commercial distribution systems, at the most downstream circuit (switchboards / DESB),
ensuring even higher degree of protection for discriminating applications.
Range: 6A, 10A, 16A, 20A, 25A, 32A.
Execution: Single Pole (1P).
Specification: IS 8828-1996.
Features:
Protection against overload & short circuit in switch board itself.
Suitable for both DESB & switch board.
Positive contact indication.
Short circuit breaking capacity, 3KA.
Performance & safety.
Reliability & continuity of service.
SUKHNA LAKE, CHANDIGARH
Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, India is an artificial Lake at the foothills of the Himalayas, the
Shivalik Hills. This 3 km rainfed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a
seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills. Originally the seasonal flow entered
the lake directly causing heavy siltation. To check the inflow of silt, 25.42 km of land was
acquired in the catchment area and put under vegetation. In 1974, the Choe was diverted and
made to bypass the lake completely, the lake being fed by three siltation pots, minimizing the
entry of silt into the lake itself.
The creation of the lake was one of the greatest gift from Le Corbusier and the Chief
Engineer P L Verma to the city of Chandigarh. To preserve its tranquility Corbusier insisted
that it be forbidden to motor boats and the top of the dam (promenade) prohibited to vehicular
traffic. The lake is fringed by a golf course to the south, and Nek Chand's famous Rock
Garden of Chandigarh to its west.
Sukhna is an inseparable part of the city of Chandigarh. Le Corbusier had foreseen that the
residents of the city would be drawn it for the 'care of the body and spirit'. The city planners
were deeply attached to the lake. So much so that Pierre Jeannerets ashes were immersed in
the lake in 1970 as per his wishes by his niece.
The roof of the 'bandh' or dam has become a favorite promenade. Serious walkers pursue an
exercise regime, families enjoy an evening stroll and nature lovers mingle with children on
roller skates. Photographers and painters love to capture its scenic beauty of the setting sun,
or the heavily clouded monsoon sky, or the early morning mist in winter set amidst the
tranquility of the lake. Even anglers do not leave unrewarded.
Sukhna is a sanctuary for many exotic migratory birds like the Siberian duck, Storks and
Cranes, during the winter months. The lake has been declared as a protected national wetland
by the Government of India.
During summers, there are streams of men, women and children from all walks of life
offering voluntary service to desilt the lake bed for about three months. This annual ritual has
been a regular feature since long ago.
Sukhna Lake is the venue for many festive celebrations too. The most popular is the Mango
Festival held during the monsoons when scores of varieties of mangoes are on display. From
time-to-time other food festivals, featuring specialties from different Indian States, are also
held here, along with cultural performances.
The Chandigarh administration has taken a decision not to allow fishes more than 30 cm in
size in the Sukhna Lake.
New Funds For Sukhna Lake Development:
Chandigarh Administration has finalized new plan for Sukhna Lake and New Lake in Sector
42 with Rs 2.73 crore which has also been received from Union Government. Due to silting
which although has reduced in the last decade has taken its toll and now the volume of the
lake from its initial one has been reduced to 56%. This year (2010) due to the onset of
summers in the mid of the March there is some good news - the work of desalting can be
undertaken at a war footing as most of the water cease to be there and dry dredging can be
undertaken at a fraction of cost to save Sukhna in the coming years. There will be 3 months
for the dredging to take place and simple earth moving equipments can be deployed at the
regulator end to remove the silt which has dried up and the basin of the Sukhna is getting
enlarged every day.
THE ROCK GARDEN, CHANDIGARH
The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh,
India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government
official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an
area of forty-acres (160,000 m), it is completely built of industrial & home waste and throwaway items.
Background:
The Rock Garden project was secretly initiated by Nek Chand around 1957. It was
discovered by the authorities in 1975, by which time it had grown into a 12-acre (49,000 m 2)
complex of interlinked courtyards, each filled with hundreds of pottery-covered concrete
sculptures of dancers, musicians, and animals. The authorities took over, and the garden was
inaugurated as a public space in 1976. It is presently run by the Rock Garden Society.
Nek Chand Saini is an Indian self-taught artist, famous for building the Rock Garden of
Chandigarh, a forty-acre (160,000 m) sculpture garden in the city of Chandigarh, India. His
family moved to Chandigarh in 1947 during the Partition of India. Nek Chand Saini was born
on 15th December 1924, in a village called Barian Kalan, near Tehsil Shakargarh (Aulakh
1986, 12). At the age of twelve he was sent to live with his uncle in the Gurdaspur region
attending the Deen Mangri High School. He was educated up to matriculation and left in
1943. Upon returning to his village he began working on his fathers farm. Following Indias
independence from Britain, the Act of Partition divided the nation and as a Hindu, Nek
Chand and his family left their village, located in what is now Pakistan and moved into the
Indian territory. They went to Jammu and tried to settle in Gurdaspur.
When Chandigarh was being redesigned as a modern utopia by the Swiss/French
architect Le Corbusier . Nek Chand took advantage of a Government programme to employ
refugees and moved with his wife to Chandigarh. He started work on Chandigarh Capitol
Project, part of the Public Works Department [PWD] on the 10th October 1950, as a road
inspector and continues to reside in the city.
The Garden:
Shortly after the Sukhna Lake was constructed in 1958, Nek Chand began making rafts and
vessels to sail upon the lake. After this was banned by the official sailing club and peddle
boats were available for rent, Nek Chand devoted more time to his passion for natural rocks
and stones. It was around this time that he began to actively occupy a piece of land beside the
PWD stores he was in charge of. The land was located near the High Court building in
Sector-1, at the northern edge of the city, and is the current site of the Rock Garden. The
stores were set back from the road and provided Nek Chand with plenty of material, space
and eventually labour, which he would use to develop a small patch of land. He formed a
collection of rocks, gathered from the Shivalik hills and the seasonal Sukhna Cho, Patiala
Rao and Ghaggar rivers. The largest river Nek Chand quarried is the Ghaggar, located
approximately eight miles from Chandigarh that Nek Chand would visit on his bicycle.
In addition to the rocks other materials were collected. The material came from the
villages destroyed to make way for the new city of Chandigarh. Certain fragments of these
villages caught Nek Chands eye and he began actively searching and collecting particular
discarded objects. These fragments were the remains of the villages, and consisted largely of
everyday mundane possessions such as broken pots and bottles.
At some stage in 1965 a more conscious effort was made to transform the found
fragments and to arrange the rocks into a formal display (Bhatti 1989). The site was also in a
dense area of vegetation and needed to be cleared. Concrete and mud flooring was prepared
and initial structures made up of oil drums and iron shuttering were constructed. With the
PWD stores acting as a suitable decoy an alternative Chandigarh was being constructed
behind the shuttering and scrap materials.
The salvaging of scrap by Nek Chand is well reported, however, less mentioned is the
pilfering of building materials. The PWD stores provided Nek Chand with a free supply of
cement, bitumen, steel reinforcement bars and oil drums that he needed to develop the site.
He was also able to second labourers who should have been building the roads, to work on
his project instead. The massive construction site that was Chandigarh provided a suitable
decoy for Nek Chands covert hobby. Provided everyone was working or looking busy it
seems that very few questions were asked.
After four years work, involving daily commitment to the project working evenings and
by the light of burning tyres, Nek Chand started to become nervous about his actions . It
was possible that his employment could be terminated should his garden be discovered.
However, this awareness did not stop the project or prevent Nek Chand from building and
expanding the garden.After his normal working day Chand worked at night, in total secrecy
for fear of being discovered by the authorities.When they did discover Chand's garden, local
government officials were thrown into turmoil. The creation was completely illegal - a
development in a forbidden area which by rights should be demolished. The outcome,
however, was the enlightened decision to give Nek Chand a salary so that he could
concentrate full-time on his work, plus a workforce of fifty labourers. At this point sometime
in 1969 Nek Chand decided to visit the citys chief architect, M.N. Sharma, a disciple of Le
Corbusier. Sharma was initially too busy to see Nek Chand but, following his persistence he
agreed to meet him one Sunday and was taken to the garden.
Although M.N Sharma should have arranged for the garden to be demolished, he claimed that
his admiration for the work and Nek Chands creative potential conflicted with his position
as Chief Architect and Secretary of Chandigarh Administration because the work was illegal
and unauthorised. In a Raw Vision article MN Sharma wrote that he, didnt have the heart to
go by the rules and advised him to continue his work in secret. I made up my mind to help
him get recognised, and although it took a year or so, I fulfilled my promise in 1972 .
It was an unusual position for the architect to take. In 1969 the garden would not have
been very large, the structures more akin to garden sheds and the displays were of a small
scale made up of natural components. As a new and busy Chief Architect, why would MN
Sharma object to a road inspector decorating and improving the area around the PWD stores?
He probably wasnt aware of Nek Chands ambition for the site and the informal sanctioning
the work accelerated Nek Chands production rate.
The creation stories of acts such as the making of secret gardens are always wrapped in
mystery, alternative origins and claims of authorship and discovery rights. The Rock Garden
is no exception. Upon reading Bhattis story of the Rock Gardens discovery there is no
mention of MN Sharma and his Sunday afternoon visit to the garden in 1969. According to .
Between Randhawas declaration and the inauguration by Chief Engineer Kulbir Singh on the
24th January 1976 there is a gap of over two years. During this time Nek Chand continued
working on the garden and producing sculptures, with the positive support of the then Chief .
Phase-2 of the project was also made during this time, which contains most of the
sculptures currently on display. The exact layout of the garden at this time is unknown,
however by 1980 a perimeter wall was constructed and all of phases one and two, including
the caf were fully finished and similar to the current layout . The caf was designed in
conjunction with MN Sharma, at the request of Nek Chand and a commemoration plaque is
positioned in the caf entrance to mark the collaboration. Following the discovery in 1973
labour was made available to prepare the garden for the opening. TN Chaturvedi suggested
that Nek Chand be released from other mundane duties made the creator-director of the
garden to work on it fulltime . Remote Curiosity
The Rock Garden was immensely popular during the 1980s with Nek Chand receiving the
Padam Shri in 1983 and a sculpture appearing on an Indian postage stamp.
Nek Chand also began receiving attention from outside of India and was awarded the
Grande Mdaille de Vermeil in Paris in 1980, following an exhibition held in Paris. After a
visit by Ann Lewin, the Director of the Childrens Museum Washington DC, to the Rock
Garden Nek Chand was also requested to construct a garden at the museum. Nek Chand
accepted the commission with working starting in 1986 with sculptures exported from India
(Crosbie 1986) .
Jealous Modernity prompts Demolition Attempt[s]:
An estimated 2,000 visitors enter the Rock Garden daily, many travelling long distances
from all over India and abroad. Despite the success and popularity of the Rock Garden, it was
in danger of partial-demolition. In 1988 the High Court applied for permission to demolish
the embryonic Phase-3 to make way for a Botanic park linking the car park of the court to
the Sukhna Lake (The-Tribune-Bureau April 21 1990). In a Times of India article, Nek
Chand said that the former advisor to the Administrator, Mr. Ashok Pradhan had deliberately
initiated the botanical garden scheme to truncate the Rock Garden. The Bar Association
argued that the expansion [of the Rock Garden] violated the Masterplan [of the city] and
sought to encroach on land earmarked for the High Court Following outcry from the citys
residents and a court appearance by Nek Chand, the petition was unconditionally withdrawn
by the Bar Association with the final ruling on the 18th October 1989
However, further attempts were made to demolish the garden, this time to make way
for a road to Kaimbwala village just north of the Sukhna Lake. The road would have reduced
the travel distance to the village by only two hundred yards (The-Tribune April 24 1990).
Bulldozers were sent to start the demolition process on the 20th April 1990, but human
shields encircled the site protecting it from the machinery (The-Tribune-Bureau April 21
1990). After the issue was discussed in the Assembly Building, the route was altered and Mr.
Pradhan was transferred to another department. Nek Chand took the events as a personal
attack claiming that the whole episode, was done to humiliate me .All these events were
played out in the local media.
Progress on Phase-III [1983 onwards] was delayed by a lack of resources and the
opening ceremony was postponed due to incomplete work (Express-news-service October 7
1992) and substandard cement (The-Tribune March 29 1992). The garden also come under
attack over the large amounts of finance the city was providing to develop the latest phase.
Nek Chand frequently replied to such criticism in the press, citing figures and expenses
incurred .
It wasnt until the 23rd September 1993, that Phase-3 was inaugurated by Mr. Ramesh
Chandra, Advisor to the Administrator (Tribune-news-service September 24 1993, see also
the plaque in the entrance to phase-3). The third phase was however, incomplete at the time
of the inauguration, and remains so to date. Shortly after the inauguration Nek Chand
featured in the local papers asking the Administration for additional funds and support to
complete the work. In an unusual reversal Nek Chand became the client, demanding the
work be completed on time, even challenging the citys chief engineers .
The local papers also reported on the delays and the lack of progress with headings
such as, Whatever happened to Rock Garden-III. There have also been problems with the
aquariums in phase-3 which still leak, Nek Chand blamed the city engineers for providing
incorrect calculations .The garden has also faced some criticism over the latest phase, mainly
with regard to the lack of recycling and a shift away from the intimate spaces of the previous
two phases. The main concept of the Rock Garden is remaking art out of junk, yet phase-III
contains very little recycled material and considerable steel and cement.
Works Damaged :
The main concern of Nek Chand during the last ten years has been a lack of maintenance
coupled with staff shortages. This has led to dilapidation and resulted in damage to some of
the sculptures. During the 1990s when Nek Chand was increasingly away from the Rock
Garden on foreign visits the Administration would remove the gardens workers, who are still
employed by the PWD, onto other duties around the city leaving the Rock Garden without
adequate staff. The Rock Garden staff act as security and prevent the visitors from climbing
on the sculpture podiums, as well as helping Nek Chand make the sculptures and buildings.
Without their presence several sculptures were damaged and there were allegations that the
sculptures may have been deliberately vandalised. The lack of maintenance has resulted in
some of the works not receiving adequate care and becoming weakened as a result. It should
also be stressed that the metal armatures of the older sculptures are recycled, often rusty and
likely to perish in the extreme conditions of the region. The cement is not of high quality and
of insufficient depth to protect the metal reinforcement from rusting within. When the
sculptures are this vulnerable they are particularly susceptible to damage by visitors handling
and sitting on them.
Following the damage sustained whilst Nek Chand was away, Raw Vision Magazine
published a full page statement asking readers to write to the Prime Minister and President of
India to support the Rock Garden. Nek Chand replied in an open letter to the readers of the
magazine, an excerpt is below:
My worst enemy is the top bureaucrat of Chandigarh, Mr. Pardeep Mehra, Advisor to the
Administrator. Although he is supposed to have complete control over public property he
never visits the Rock Garden, even though he goes to every nook and corner of Chandigarh.
Three times I have tried to see him and on each occasion he has kept me waiting outside his
office for over two hours and still claims to be too busy to see me. He and others in the I.A.S.
(Indian Administration Service) have done everything to hinder the progress of the Rock
Garden. Since 1988 work has only been able to continue in fits and starts, depending on the
fancies of administrative officers. I have seen that any sympathetic official is soon transferred
elsewhere. It is a pure burning red jealousy, defying all the norms of rationality
It is only in the last two years [since 2004] that work on phase-3 has re-started, with new
floors being laid and large sculptures being installed on top of the family-sized swings.
Fences have also been installed to improve the security around the sculptures.
Cataloguing the Rock Garden:
This exhibition forms part of the cataloguing and documentation research that has taken
place during the last three years. Prior to this research the physical make-up of the Rock
Garden was an unknown factor. Nek Chand has worked entirely without plans and only
rough estimates were made with regard to the quantity of sculptures produced.
The research-catalogue allows dimensions, materials, location and arrangements to be
discussed with all works recorded in the same format and the measured drawings enable
spatial investigations, patterns and construction methods to be revealed and discussed. In
addition to the above the catalogue also assists in the preservation and maintenance of the
site, highlights any future developments or modifications and the rate at which these are
taking place. It is also hoped that the research methods can be used as a guide for the
documentation of other visionary environments that are increasingly facing destruction and
dilapidation
The field research had two main components . The first was to catalogue each sculpture
currently on permanent display in the Rock Garden, including the natural rock collection in
phase-1. This process involved measuring and photographing each piece coupled with
recording other information such as materiality and dilapidation. The second aspect of the
research dealt with the larger scaled elements of the garden, such as the landscaping and
architecture. Survey drawings were made of each area as well as extensive photographic
documentation, Virtual Reality Models and film. GPS was also deployed to calculate the area
of the garden. The surveys were drawn to scale and represented through elevational and
axonometric projections, as well as plans and sectional drawings.
Collection:Ruin:Theatre :
The documentation of the garden has been used to generate additional understanding
of Nek Chands work and to position it within the postcolonial canon of Indian art.
Collection, Ruin and Theatre have been chosen as three lenses through which the Rock
Garden can be viewed and better understood.
The first of which treats the Rock Garden as a collection, or informal museum. Whilst
it may seem contradictory for a new India and a rejection of the museumisation of India to be
explored through this notion, the Rock Garden has taken its basic precepts. It can be
considered an archive, not of rare objects or naturalia, but a record of people, their personal
belongings and histories expressed through the sculptures. Museums are used to unify, to
produce collective identities and bridge gaps between people. Governments utilise museums
to create a common heritage and to build nations. The Rock Garden functions in a similar
way through the use of found objects and collected rocks, and has been more successful than
certain conventional museums in India in this respect. The limitations of museums in
representing diverse and varied populations are well known, however through using everyday
mundane objects and narrative the dissemination and construction of a common identity is
possible.
The entire garden could also be considered a ruin, or deserted settlement. The ruins in
the Rock Garden are under construction, they morph, adapt and are unlikely to ever be fully
complete. They make references to Mughal architecture and fortified structures, yet their
sham ruin status alienates them from a historical past. Ruins are about making links to the
past, they reveal voids, and they evoke hazy recollections transported into the present. They
communicate a living tradition suggesting the previous usage of the land before Chandigarh
[i.e. before imposed modernity arrived].
The theatre is a way of seeing and representing the world. It has the ability to indulge
in the make-believe and can transgress societies norms. The Rock Garden can be thought of
as a theatre and also a theatrical intervention or performance. The garden is experienced as a
dramatic journey broken down into smaller acts and scenes, and evokes traditional Indian
theatre whereby the audience is taken on a journey through a place, each destination
revealing a new aspect of the plot. The garden also contains three amphitheatres suggesting
that Nek Chand intends the space to be used for performance and theatre. Theatre is a
powerful medium for expressing transgressions, deviance and political appraisal.
Now over twenty five acres of several thousand sculptures set in large mosaic courtyards
linked by walled paths and deep gorges, Nek Chand's creation also combines huge buildings
with a series of interlinking waterfalls. The Rock Garden is now acknowledged as one of the
modern wonders of the world. Over 5000 visitors each day, some 12 million people so far,
walk around this vast creation - the greatest artistic achievement seen in India since the Taj
Mahal. This creation has even appeared on the Indian stamp in the year 1983.
ROSE GARDEN, CHANDIGARH
Zakir Rose Garden in Chandiarh is Asia's largest Rose garden.This garden was created in
1967, under the expert guidance of Dr M.S. Randhawa, Chandigarh's first Chief
Commissioner, and is named after India's President, Zakir Hussain. It is spread over an area
of 30 acres and has 50,000 rose-bushes of 1600 different species of roses. Its collection
includes not only natural verities but also many of the hybrid varieties developed through
tissue culture. Some of the verities are considered very rare ones. Best time to visit this
garden is during Feb-March. During this period it is in full bloom. There is also a festival
dedicated to this Garden which is celebrated in end of February or beginning of March, which
is one of the major attractions among the residents of chandigarh and surroundings. During
which many competitions, contests and cultural shows are organised accompanies with stalls
spread along the Jan Marg on the strech between Sector 17 and Sector 16.
A perfect symphony of colours and the rich fragrance of the lovely flowers is eye catching
spectacle which tempts the visitor to come back again and again. The therapeutic plants that
can be marked here include bahera, bel, camphor, harar and yellow gulmohar. Rose garden
serves as the venue for hosting the annual festival of gardens, a major cultural event of the
city. Each year this garden hosts a rose festival with cultural festivities and contests, which
turns to be a major crowd puller in the city. Best time to visit this garden is believed to be
during Feb-March but locals and visitors throng this place throughout the year.
