Travelling - It leaves you speechless and then turns you into a story teller.
-Ibn Battuta
Wanderlust, that's what put us on a flight, carrying us more than a thousand miles away from home to Chandigarh, the first leg of our week long trip to the enchanted land - Himachal Pradesh. We were still minutes away from landing, when the majestic Himalayan Ranges loomed into sight, dotting the horizon to our right, the peaks appearing as though suspended in air, like a cluster of clouds. They were beckoning us, with an icy cold carpet outstretched in our welcome. The allure was compelling, but we still had a day to kill before setting off to the foothills of those snow dappled mountains.
Before you even land in Chandigarh, you'll realize why it's reputed to be arguably one of the most well planned cities in our country. The aerial view of it presents a contour so neatly designed in sectors and blocks, that you're reminded of the pictures of those well planned American cities that you see in movies. Chandigarh as a tourist spot though, has very less to offer, with a handful of gardens and lakes that one can laze around in. Since we had an afternoon to kill, we set off to visit one of the well known gardens called the Rock Garden and later explore the city.
We were surprised to find a few Cycle Rickshaws on the road, a rare sight in Indian cities nowadays, but decided to take an auto anyway(for humanitarian reasons). The auto, painted completely blue, looked like it'd just been assembled from spare parts and made such annoying blare, yet surprisingly offered much better leg space than our recently bought Grand i10! The roads looked impeccably maintained, wide open and flanked by trees, not to mention, separate lanes to provide entry for houses on either sides. If you're a person who loves order, you'll love it here! All areas or extensions are marked by sector numbers with each sector said to be self-sufficient, complete with blocks of residential neighborhoods and a central marketplace.( Such a well planned city to live in, don't you think? Except for the day, when you forget to buy that one important thing from your long list of groceries and you've to rush all the way back, coz there's no shop around the corner to your rescue :P ).
The Rock Garden didn't prove to be anything extraordinary, but the experience of strolling around the city is worth sharing. After cursing ourselves for whiling away some precious time traipsing around the garden, we decided to head on to Sector 17, one of the central places in Chandigarh, with thriving shopping centers and eateries. When we arrived at our destination, I was amazed by the sheer number of shops selling blazers and suits for men, something that we South Indians can only imagine buying on a really momentous occasion( Most likely when you're about to tie the knot and usually from reputed designer outlets like Raymond et al. :P). And here, there were rows and rows of shops lined up, selling them like it were a roadside sale! R~ being the "more traveled one" between the two of us, stepped up to show off his demographic knowledge. He explained to me that, while it could be explained as a necessity because of the extreme climate that the city faces, the number of suit-selling shops, men strolling around the city clad in them for no apparent occasion and the fleet of cars on the road compared to bikes, were also symbolic of "The Punjabi Shaan", a testament that the Punjabis truly live lavishly. On the contrary, the city skyline is mostly limited to four-storied buildings, with many of them unpainted, embodying the simplistic and eco friendly philosophy it is built on. The marketplaces give the impression of Chandigarh, as a city grappling to maintain its legacy. The once vibrant and thriving centres of the city, now housed shopping centres mostly on the ground floor, while the upper floors looked desolate and unkempt. I thoroughly enjoyed shopping there though, filling our bags with the baroque Phulkari worked clothes and fuzzy, warm sweaters.
Soon it was time to head to Kalka, a small town less than an hour away from Chandigarh where we would spend the night and board the renowned narrow gauged train to Shimla the following morning. We had sacrificed a day from our trip to include the journey since many fellow travellers had deemed this as an unforgettable experience that one shouldn't miss. While walking back to our room after a decent meal at a dhaba nearby our hotel in Kalka, we chanced upon an ornate chariot, adorned with flowers. The unmistakable sounds of a "Baraat" somewhere nearby explained its presence, poised like an unflustered bride waiting to embark on a fresh journey. I smiled at the moment of resonance, as sonorous emotions of excitement about the journey that awaited us the next day, engulfed us.
P.S: Something to muse upon:
Beside the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, The High Court of Punjab and The High Court of Haryana are housed within the same campus. It reminded me of the fact that Chandigarh serves as the capital to either of the neighboring states. However, it's also a Union Territory, meaning - it's ruled directly by the Union Government of India and is not part of either state. Does that mean, I was in two states at once, or in the middle of nowhere?!
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