JIET GROUP OF INSTITUTIONJODHPUR 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 TECHNOLOGYIN

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

OF

RAJASTHAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, KOTA

VIST PLACE: - HAVELLS INDIA Ltd.

SUBMITTED BY SUBMITTED TO Roll number 01-18 Prof. M.R.Baid

HODMechanical 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 companyAttained 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 World’s 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:

Certifications / Approvals: ISO-9001 : 2000 (all manufacturing units) KEMA KEUR, NETHERLANDS CE, EUROPE S–mark, SWEDEN CSA CB, EUROPE SEMKO SIRIUM (Malayasia) SPRING (Singapore) TSE (Turkey)

Head Office,Noida

Branch OfficeNorth

Branch OfficeEast

Branch OfficeWest

Branch OfficeSouth

Branch OfficeAbroad

Chandigarh,Ludhiana, Jaipur, Kanpur, Dehradun

Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Ranchi, Siliguri

Ahemdabad, Bhopal, Indore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Raipur, Surat

Calicut, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hydrabad, Kochi, Madurai, Trivandrum

London, Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, Sri-Lanka, Dubai

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 (MCB’s):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 ConformityIS 8828 / IEC 60898-1 / EN 60898-1

Type / Series B C B C D

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 3

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 4

Mini MCB’s:

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 km² 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 km² 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 Jeanneret’s 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 equipment’s 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 m²), it is completely built of industrial & home waste and throw-away 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 m2) 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 m²) 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 father’s farm. Following India’s 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 Chand’s 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 Chand’s 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 city’s 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 Chand’s ‘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, ‘didn’t 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 wasn’t aware of Nek Chand’s ambition for the site and the informal sanctioning the work accelerated Nek Chand’s 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 Bhatti’s story of the Rock Garden’s discovery there is no mention of MN Sharma and his Sunday afternoon visit to the garden in 1969. According to . Between Randhawa’s 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 café were fully finished and similar to the current layout . The café was designed in conjunction with MN Sharma, at the request of Nek Chand and a commemoration plaque is positioned in the café 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 1980’s 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 Médaille de Vermeil in Paris in 1980, following an exhibition held in Paris. After a visit by Ann Lewin, the Director of the Children’s 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 city’s 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 wasn’t 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 city’s 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 1990’s when Nek Chand was increasingly away from the Rock Garden on foreign visits the Administration would remove the garden’s 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 Chand’s 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.