When India was partitioned at Independence
in 1947, Lahore, the traditional capital
of Punjab, was ceded to Pakistan. Prime
minister Nehru decided that India should
compensate the Punjabis by giving them
a new capital city, Chandigarh. A city
that was to reflect a modern, democratic
and rational scientific temper. The
famous French - Swiss architect Le Corbusier
was given the job of translating this
vision into the design of the new capital.The
city was divided into rectangular neighbourhoods
called sectors, and zoning was followed
in order to separate the various functions
of the city from one another in a systematic,
rationalistic manner - a design that
has its positive and negative aspects.
The Capitol complex is where Le Corbusier's
genius manifested itself at its peak.
Its overall plan, the monuments of the
central plaza, the sculptural use of
raw concrete, the High court, the Assembly
building and the overall feeling for
the sacred and the cosmic are some of
the aspects explored in depth in the
film.
While
a voice-over, accompanied by electronic
music, recounts and explains the story
of Chandigarh, archival footage, images
of the city and of the main buildings
are intercut with computer-generated
graphics. |
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