Story of Chandigarh

About Story of Chandigarh

A podcast about the making of the modernist city of Chandigarh - its origins, ethos, design principles, the people involved, its subsequent growth and possible futures.

Publisher

Eashan Chaufla

Category

arts · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 May 2024

Latest episode

7 Mar 2025

Latest episodes

10 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Mar 2025

   10. The Museum Complex

   In today’s episode, we talk about the Museum Complex in Sector 10 - the various buildings and typologies, and the process of translation in Corbusian design thinking. We explore the evolution of the concepts of the Museum of Inifinite growth, the Mundaneum and the miracle box. We compare the relationship between the College of Art and the Museum and also discuss the calmness of the museum complex as compared to the Capitol. TIMESTAMPS: 1:27 - How was the Museum Complex sited? How does it relate to the urban plan and the green belt? 4:47 - The significance of nature in the Chandigarh plan 5:54 - What would a truly Corbusian Leisure Valley look like? 8:18 - ‘Cultural Centre’ to ‘Museum Complex’ - How did the idea of the Chandigarh museum first come about? 11:31 - Corbusier’s other museums (Ahmedabad & Tokyo) and the concept of the ‘Museum of Infinite Growth’ and the League of Nations 13:12 - Paul Otlet, International Universalist Modernism, and information systems 16:18 - The Tower of Babel, the Museum of Knowledge and the ‘Mundaneum’ 20:28 - Temporary Exhibits Museum based on the Heidi Weber pavilion by SD Sharma 21:09 - The School of Art and its adjacency to the Museum 22:02 - Mentorship of Assistant architects in the Capitol Project 24:08 - Translation as a dominant design strategy 25:59 - Philips Pavilion with Iannis Xenakis and Edgard Varèse 28:05 - Corbusier’s fascination with film - the ‘Miracle Box’ 31:41 - ‘Poème Electronique’ and the ‘Audio-Visual Training Centre’ 36:47 - Nomenclature of the ‘Pavilion of Temporary or Traveling exhibitions for the Synthesis of Plastic Arts’ 39:55 - The Carpenter Centre in Cambridge 40:49 - Museum of Fine Arts by BP Mathur / transliteration vs reinterpretation 41:51 - The Museum of Evolution diorama 42:41 - Tagore Theatre and the Miracle Box 44:52 - Venice Hospital 45:45 - NID/Eames and other understudied connections / modernism as a synthesis of the arts 47:12 - Revolving doors in the museum complex and elsewhere 48:47 - The Museum Library and the Randhawa Papers. 49:37 - Transition from Temporary Exhibits to Architecture/Furniture museum 50:49 - The calmness of the Museum Complex compared to the Capitol Complex

2. 

   7 Feb 2025

   9. The Open Hand & Other Monuments

   In this episode, we explore the monuments of the Capitol Complex - their meanings, functions and origins. We critique the symbolism of the Open Hand and its present-day transformation and overuse as a symbol. We also briefly discuss the mythical status of Chandigarh in the architectural imagination. TIMESTAMPS: 1:10 - What might be the reason behind the lack of literature around the monuments in the Capitol Complex? 2:13 - What are the different monuments? 3:16 - The missing sculptures of the Martyr’s Memorial 4:41 - The martyrdom / end of history and the lack of statues in the city 6:10 - The Tower of Shadows and the Artificial Hill (24 Solar Hours) and ‘briese-soleil’ 7:54 - The Capitol monuments as an ode to the cosmos 10:01 - Monuments as shrines of Corb’s belief system akin to Nehru’s dams 10:49 - Similarity to ‘follies’ with lack of a defined program 12:53 - The invention of new ‘modernist rituals’ 13:19 - Monuments as ‘direction indicators’ and ‘mileposts’ 16:05 - Could the monuments be read as cubist objects that act peripherally to reframe the  main buildings? 16:48 - The ‘original’ concept of the folly in British stroll gardens and Chinese/Japanese gardens 18:57 - The genesis of the Open Hand - a symbol of the ‘second machine age’…  open to give and receive 21:28 - The Cold War, the Non-Aligned Movement and independent thinking - utopian vision articulated in the Open Hand 25:12 - Sidestepping the dualities of East-West critiques around Chandigarh; ‘Non-Aligned Modernism’ 26:10 - The ‘situationist’ modus operandi of modernism 27:14 - What does the ubiquitousness of the Open Hand as a symbol of Chandigarh do its meaning? 28:11 - The uncontrollable transformation and dissemination of symbols / Fondation Le Corbusier’s Open Hand logo 31:37 - Other monument like structures and symbols around the city 33:37 - Monuments collectively as objects of intrigue 35:44 - Chandigarh’s status as mythical in the public imagination

3. 

   5 Jan 2025

   8. The Governor's Palace and the Museum of Knowledge

   In this episode, we explore the missing building(s) of the Capitol Complex - the Governor’s Palace and the Museum of Knowledge. We explore the formal brilliance of the Governor’s Palace and Corbusier’s idea of the museum. We also talk about the mythical status of Chandigarh in the west and the possibility of reinterpreting the program of the museum of knowledge. TIMESTAMPS: 1:16 - What was the initial thinking behind the Governor’s Palace and why was the project scrapped. 3:59 - Corb’s practice of collaging elements into a single composition. 5:36 - Corbusier, Picasso, the ‘masculine bull’. 9:16 - Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian man as a precursor to the Modulor man. 10:42 - The contrast between the interior and the exterior of the Governor’s Palace. 13:01 - Scrapping the Governor’s ‘Palace’ for being an ‘undemocratic’ idea. 14:01 - Scaling down the Governor’s Palace using the ‘Modulor’ 15:13 - The dramatization of the Assembly building. 16:36 - The Mundaneum, Museum of Unlimited Growth, Olivetti’s computers and the idea of the Museum of Knowledge. 20:25 - The future of the museum, data and knowledge 21:13 - Information access vs knowledge production 24:40 - The program of the Museum of Knowledge 26:51 - Futurity, utopia and uncertainty in the Corbusier’s Capitol. 30:07 - Historic preservation ‘sleight of hand’ - the Governor’s Palace shell proposed with the Museum of Knowledge program. 32:00 - Corbusier’s reduction to a formalist 36:40 - The ‘mythical’ status of Chandigarh in the West - the ’double exotic’. 39:37 - The orientalist fetishization of Chandigarh furniture. 42:52 - Reinterpreting the program of the Museum of Knowledge - an ephemeral event?

4. 

   3 Dec 2024

   7. The Assembly

   Architect Balkrishna Doshi joins urban planner and historian Vikramaditya Prakash to explore the design evolution and symbolic significance of the Assembly building in Chandigarh, a masterpiece of modernist architecture.

5. 

   2 Nov 2024

   6. The Secretariat

   In the sixth episode, we explore the Secretariat building. We discuss Corbusier’s transformation of the building, its Excel spreadsheet architecture, its oceanliner-like quality, and its potential for infinite expansion. We also highlight the uniqueness of its ramps and roof garden. TIMESTAMPS: 1:48 - The original ‘UN style’ vertical design and the current ‘Unité-esque’ form and orientation of the Secretariat building. 5:02 - The Capitol Complex as Corbusier’s playground. 7:28 - Analogy of the Writers’ Building in Calcutta - Secretariat as a bureaucratic machine. 11:55 - Utility and beauty - the Secretariat and the Oceanliner. 14:25 - Pilotis and uninterrupted nature - Rajendra Park and Leisure valley 17:48 - Modular facade elements and rough Indian craftsmanship 18:56 - Excel Spreadsheet Architecture™ 20:19 - The Ramp as a sensual, schizophrenic, heterotypic space 24:55 - The extruded Secretariat - infinite expansion 27:51 - The roof garden with the parasol viewing platform 35:48 - The echo of a dam in the Secretariat’s form

6. 

   2 Oct 2024

   5. The High Court

   In the fifth episode, we’ll talk about the High Court, the first building to be constructed within the Capitol Complex. We discuss its likeness to an umbrella, its weightlessness and the experience of the uncanny. We also discuss the interiors and specifically the tapestries of the high court as well as Corbusier’s flexible approach to executing his vision. TIMESTAMPS: 1:19 - Why was the High Court the first building to come up? 1:50 - The ‘umbrella’ analogy: visual, literary, mythological 5:35 - Making it look structural:  The visual trickery of the roof and arches of the high court 9:02 - Cooling the air by compressing and releasing the prevailing winds 10:27 - A building in which Corbusier engages all the elements 14:28 - Weightlessness of the high court building ; plan-elevation interplay 19:36 - ‘Doubling’ of the facade in the reflecting pools; horizontal symmetry 25:04 - The experience of the ‘uncanny’ & the Barcelona Pavilion 32:38 - Multiplicity of readings in works of art 33:39 - The pylons marking a ‘ramp in the sky’ 35:24 - The hidden extension to the high court 38:52 - The tapestries and the symbols of law, balance and harmony 42:21 - Rough texture of ‘hand-poured’ concrete 44:37 -  Corbusier’s flexible approach to execution and foreseeing future changes 48:59 - The ramp as architectural promenade

7. 

   1 Sept 2024

   4. The Capitol Complex

   In the fourth episode, we discuss the implications of the UNESCO Heritage designation for the Capitol Complex on Chandigarh. We discuss Corbusier's process of siting the Capitol and its connection to cubism and the cosmos. We also talk about the intentionally open-ended quality of the Capitol Complex and how it relates to the future of citizenry and a faith in the nation's future. TIMESTAMPS: 1:08 - The UNESCO Heritage Tag for the Capitol Complex and its consequences. Which parts of the city were included and why wasn’t the whole city included? 5:31 - Barbed wire, controlled access to the Capitol and guided tours 6:01 - Eurocentric exclusion of Jeanneret and other architects from UNESCO recognition 10:44 - The Capitol as Corbusier’s tour de force 14:39 - The siting of the buildings in the Capitol 17:00 - Corbusier and cubist architecture 21:37 - Corbusier’s fascination with India’s rural landscape and integration of the city and the village. 25:06 - Monumentality, temples and the cosmos in relation to the Capitol 30:48 - Buildings as celestial objects; the Capitol and its invocation of the sky 34:30 - The ‘East-West’ dichotomy and the change in perception of Chandigarh after the 70s and postmodernism 40:31 - Corruption, the Emergency and the attack on Nehruvian modernism 44:05 - The Open Hand, Nehru’s Non-Aligned Movement and the Third World. 46:52 - The open-ended, leaky Capitol Complex 49:28 - Citizenry, anticipatory democracy and nation building in the context of Chandigarh and India 52:49 - Aesthetic masterpieces of Le Corbusier OR crowning achievements of the aspirations of the Indian nation state and its faith in the future?

8. 

   1 Aug 2024

   3. The Masterplan

   In this episode, we will talk about the development of the Chandigarh masterplan. We will look at the design strategy behind the streets, the philosophy of the sector and the role of 'mistakes' in the masterplan. We'll also learn how Corbusier paid homage to the Mayer-Nowicki plan as well as the anthropomorphic nature of the Chandigarh plan. Finally, we'll briefly discuss the placement of the Capitol Complex and the Sukhna Lake. TIMESTAMPS: 1:13 - What was the thinking behind the zig-zag arrangement of the sectors? Where is sector 13? 4:59 - The reason behind the curve in the Madhya Marg and other east-west marks 6:46 - ‘Mistakes’ in the masterplan; embracing the perfectly imperfect roughness of the concrete 8:57 - Reasons behind the hierarchy embedded in the plan and housing types 10:33 - Where is the ‘heart’ of the city? What makes sector-22 special? 13:08 - Corbusier’s proposal of mass housing blocks for Chandigarh; the extendability of the Secretariat 16:00 - The modularity of the masterplan set up for southward expansion 18:22 - Anthropomorphism in Chandigarh’s plan; the logic of the green belts as continuous playing fields 21:28 - The layout of the sector and homage to Mayer & Nowicki in the Corbusier plan in certain sectors 25:24 - Special sectors for museums (sector 10) and schools (sector 26) 27:54 - Was the golf course and Chandigarh club part of the original brief for the city? 30:56 - Corbusier complaining to Nehru and not being paid enough 33:35 - The internal facing sector houses, sheltered from traffic across the city 35:35 - The ‘displacement’ of villages to accommodate the masterplan; except for temples 37:22 - Chandigarh’s unique tree planting strategy and MS Randhawa’s role 41:21 - The siting of the Capitol Complex compared to the Mayer-Nowicki plan 44:24 - PL Verma, dams and a brief history of the lake

9. 

   1 Jul 2024

   2. Building Chandigarh: Assembling the Capital Project Team

   In this episode we will talk about how the Chandigarh Capital Project team was selected. When did Corbusier and Jeanneret enter the picture and how was the rest of the team assembled? Who were the people displaced by Chandigarh and where the labourers involved in the city's construction come from? We will also discuss how the team was structured and how the work was divided amongst them. TIMESTAMPS: 1:07 - How and when did Le Corbusier become a part of the team? 3:23 - Was the idea of a competition ever floated to select the architects? 5:03 - How did Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry enter the project, following their African experience? 7:34 - Corbusier’s terms and conditions for joining the Chandigarh project 8:36 - The deal: Jeanneret to be in Chandigarh on behalf of Corbusier 12:24 - Corbusier’s preference to work from home 14:55 - CIAM’s role in globalising modernist architecture 17:46 - The false East-West dichotomy in Chandigarh’s discourse 19:51 - Criteria for selecting the younger architects 22:58 - Chandimandir rest house office as described by Mulk Raj Anand; how Corbusier ‘shrunk’ the Mayer plan. 27:30 - Land surveying and road laying by the engineers before shifting the office to Chandigarh 28:33 - The first building in Chandigarh - Capital Project Office in Nagla (Sector-19) 28:53 - The first houses came up in sector 22 to house the architects and engineers 30:28 - Labourers showed up in Chandigarh… from where? Were they trained on-site? 31:11 - The untold stories of the people and villages displaced to make way for Chandigarh 35:26 - The first ‘inhabitants’ of Chandigarh 36:17 - Corbusier fascinated by Indians carrying their beds on their heads! 37:00 - Jeanneret’s design for the Sector-19  Planners’ Office 38:46 - How the junior architects joined the team 39:44 - How was the work divided amongst the architects? 41:51 - The order of constructing the institutional buildings 42:57 - The conflict between white painted plaster and exposed bricks

10. 

    31 May 2024

    From Partition to Utopia: The Birth of Chandigarh

    In our first episode, join us as we explore the origins of the modernist city of Chandigarh, with Dr. Vikramāditya Prakāsh. How did the partition of India and Pakistan lead to its creation? Who were the idealized inhabitants of this utopian city? How was the site selected? What was the Garden City movement, how does it relate to Nehruvian modernism? TIMESTAMPS: 1:07 - Why Chandigarh? The need for a new capital city of Punjab in post partition India. 5:24 - Nehru, modernist and industrialisation;  modernism architecture as a global movement 9:42 - British Colonialism and western industrialisation; transfer of wealth. 12:07 - Albert Mayer and Gandhi, Lewis Mumford and Mathew Nowicki. 15:12 - Partition and migration; utopian aspirations of the newly independent India; Chandigarh - imagined capital of Nehruvian India. 19:25 - Inventing a new, ideal citizen of the nation state; the imagined inhabitants of Chandigarh. 22:38 - AL Fletcher, the brief for Chandigarh. Ebenezer Howard and the new town movement; the “Garden City” movement 26:00 - The Mayer plan; site selection by PL Varma and PN Thapar by helicopter“ 28:26 -  Land acquisition by “eminent domain”; displacement and relocation; the first buildings; architect’s office 32:32 - The search for Nowicki’s replacement; hiring Le Corbusier. Hosted & Produced by Eashan Chaufla storyofchandigarh@gmail.com

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

100

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

55

Social presence

0

YouTube

64

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.