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Creator of Chandigarh's Rock Garden Nek Chand dies at 90

by IBNS 12 Jun 2015, 12:10 pm

Chandigarh, June 12 (IBNS): Creator of Chandigarh's famous Rock Garden, Nek Chand, died here on Friday at a hospital where he had been admitted following complaint of chest pain.

Nek Chand was 90.
 
He died at the PGIMER shortly past mid-night, said reports.
 
His body will be kept in the Rock Garden on Friday to enable people to pay their last respects.
 
A self-taught Indian artist, Chand hailed from Shakargarh region (now in Pakistan) of district Gurdaspur. 
 
His family moved to Chandigarh in 1947 during the Partition. 
 
At the time, the city was being redesigned as a modern utopia by the Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. 
 
It was to be the first planned city in India and Chand found work there as a roads inspector for the Public Works Department in 1951. 
 
He built the city's iconic Rock Garden from waste and other unused household materials.
 
He was awarded the Padma Shri by Government of India in 1984.