Chandigarh

Tracing the sepia-toned years of Chandigarh’s infancy brings nostalgia that is both heartwarming and oddly melancholic. The new capital of East Punjab came up bit-by-bit, beginning with sector 22. But before that, Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier’s team had to grapple with some pertinent questions: Why can’t the city have skyscrapers? Why have cleaners’ passages and purdah screens in houses? A blueprint by American architect Albert Mayer was ready before Corbusier stepped in. But Mayer lost his Polish associate Matthew Nowicki in a plane crash and quit. It was a jittery transition from Mayer to Corbusier. Beyond the anecdotal accounts of the city’s early life, the book is the outcome of a deep dive into piles of official records to stitch together the city’s past - the triumphs and tribulations of its people, the foresightedness and failings of the planners. Let’s go back to March,1948 when it all began. About the Author: Vibhor Mohan is a senior journalist who has a quarter-century’s experience of working with leading English newspapers. He lives in Chandigarh and writes passionately about the changing face of the city. With a doctorate from Panjab University he is also a New Media researcher. His first book’s 'Chandigarh Unmasked' was a fictional account of the city’s past. This time he decided to draw on scholarly research to pen Chandigarh’s biography weaving its social and architectural history into an unputdownable lively whole. Instagram: Chandigarh. Backstory.