-- From Chandigarh to New Delhi then Gurgaon
The road tracklog
towards Gurgaon
from 24/09 to 30/09/2007
Chandigarh conceived in the Fifties by Le Corbusier assisted of a team of British and Indian architects, is directed north-eastern south-east along a triumphal way, Jan Marg. It is made up of quadrangular sectors with broad tree-lined avenues, and many parks. Distances are very big doing a visit much difficult and animation concentrated in sector 17. It is the capital of the two States, Punjab and Haryana. The administrative buildings are in sector 1 in the North-East, the Secretariat and High Court. With between the two buildings the Open Hand sculpture, created by Le Corbusier. I visited High Court and attended audiences, as in Chennai. Each room has an abstract tapestry created by Le Corbusier. It is in my opinion the most interesting construction whereas the Secretariat is an immense vessel rather decrepit, worth visiting on invitation. The city as a whole is rather cold and buildings, in general, badly maintained and refuses strew lanes along the avenues, like always in India.
Building, Secteur 17
Chandigarh
the 24/09/2007
High Court
Chandigarh
the 24/09/2007
The 25/09 weathers were gloomy. I was tired; I thus preferred to stop on the platform of a dhaba for the bivouac shortly after Panipat. Consequently I went in two days from Chandigarh to New Delhi. As of the installation of the truck at Nehru Park I was going to the embassy of France to present to me. I learned that it did not deliver any more the letter requested by the embassy of Pakistan to obtain the visa. The called upon reason was the insecurity of this country.
The workshop of Man-Force in Gurgaon is close to Showroom of the trucks. It is about to be completed to the Indian mode, work of bearing by women. They live in slums in the courtyard with children of all ages. The servicing of my truck was there too with the Indian mode without automatic tools, it does not have there electricity during the day. I made replace the right wing damaged by a truck on the NH1 and the headlight of left whose glass was broken. Work started about 11:00 to finish around 18:00. About 18:30 I taken a shower in the main building with a basket in toilets! The night was painful step of air under the garage, noise of engine and air conditioning of the close factory. I left it the 28/09 at the end of the afternoon to go again to New Delhi at Nehru Park where I remained until Monday morning October 01.
Man-Force, new workshop
Gurgaon
the 28/09/2007
The day of 29/09 was primarily devoted to visit Jama Majid and Red Fort. As in all the mosques it is necessary to keep off shoes, knowing that the ground is dirty with droppings of pigeons. It would be the vastest in India with a courtyard of 400 m2. The Red Fort owes its name with the colour of material employed for its construction. It remains little of things of its ancient splendour. However in Diwan-I-Am remains the marble alcove inlaid with semi-precious stones as well as Diwan-i-Khas.
Jama Masjid
New Delhi
the 29/09/2007
Red Fort, Diwan-i-Am
New Delhi
the 29/09/2007
In this last Sunday of September I visited the site of Humayun Tomb wonder of Arabo-Persan style with an Indo-Moslem touch. Then I passed more than two hours into the National Museum of which entrance fees included the audio tour which exhibits some beautiful items such as Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro, a miniature of Jahan Shah in the marriage of his eldest son and well of others.
Humayun Tomb
New Delhi
the 30/09/2007
The following week I went to Agra then to Varanasi (Benares).
