Nek Chand used to work as a roads inspector in the north Indian city of Chandigarh. In his off hours, in the middle of the forest, he began to build a secret place. He worked for twenty years collecting stones and rocks with interesting shapes. He also collected over-burnt bricks, broken pots, china-ware, rags, plastic dolls, battered hats, broken coloured bangles, used shoes, fused bulbs, worn out tyres, bottles, parts of rusted bicycles and discarded building materials. This horde of urban and industrial waste became his secret treasure with which he sculpted a magical kingdom - later to be known as a rock garden.
Nek Chand talks about how he first started sculpting in this video:
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2. Nek Chand has received many awards both at home and abroad. In 2007 he received the Medaille de la Ville de Paris which is awarded to nationals of any country in recognition of contributions to international culture. This took place during the large exhibition of Nek Chand's sculptures at Halle Saint Pierre in Paris.
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7. Nek Chand made hundreds of sculptures set in large mosaic courtyards.
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17. These sculptures are dressed with broken glass bangles.
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24. Chandigarh is a modern city with straight, wide roads and landscaped gardens. It was planned and built a few years after India gained its independence. It was designed by the French architect, Le Corbusier, and is the capital city of two Indian states - Punjab and Haryana.
25. Nek Chand's sculptures at the Chandigarh railway station
