Space, Light and Order

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“Space and light and order.
Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep.”
(Le Corbusier – French Architect and city planner (born in Switzerland), 1887-1965)

This is a part othe main wall of the Secretariat building in Chandigarh, the capital of the Indian state of Punjab.
It is a long horizontal concrete slab form of 254 meters long and 42 meters high which was designed by the French (born Swiss) architect and urban planner, Le Corbusier, in the 1950s.
The building is composed of six eight storeyed blocks separated by expansion joints and bears close resemblance to the Marseilles apartment block.
The façade of the building gives a sculptural appearance with exposed concrete ramps, perforated with small square windows dominating the front and rear views.
The building façade is provided with projects for sun control.

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The Style of an Epoch

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“Our own epoch is determining, day by day, its own style.
Our eyes, unhappily, are unable yet to discern it.”
(Le Corbusier – French Architect and city planner (born in Switzerland), 1887-1965)

This was shot in Chandigarh, the capital of the Indian state of Punjab.
Commissioned by Nehru to reflect the new nation’s modern, progressive outlook, the city was designed by the French (born Swiss) architect and urban planner, Le Corbusier, in the 1950s.
It was the first planned city in India and is known internationally for its architecture and urban design.
Those geometrical structures made of brick and boulder stone masonry exposed in its rough form produce unfinished concrete surfaces which are the real style of an epoch.

This man was bringing the human touch to the wall and it was fun to play with him and those shapes.

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The Open Hand

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“Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light.”
(Le Corbusier – French Architect and city planner (born in Switzerland), 1887-1965)

This is the largest of the many Open Hand sculptures that Le Corbusier created, it is a 28 meter high version and it stands in Chandigarh, the capital of the Indian state of Punjab.
A few years after the Indenpendance, Nehru commissioned the French architect and urban planner to design the city in order to reflect the new nation’s modern, progressive outlook.
The birth of this modern, youngest and vibrant city was an act of anguish and drama that took place at the time of partition of India and Pakistan.
Lahore, the historical capital of Punjab was ceded to Pakistan and Chandigarh was conceived to be a symbol of India’s freedom.
The Open Hand (La Main Ouverte) is a recurring motif in Le Corbusier’s architecture, a sign for him of “peace and reconciliation.
It is open to give and open to receive.

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Supreme Bliss

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“Alone let him constantly meditate in solitude on that which is salutary for his soul, for he who meditates in solitude attains supreme bliss.”
(Guru Nanak – Founder of Sikhism and first of the ten Sikh Gurus, 1469–1539)

This man was sitting before sunset along the samovar of the Golden Temple which is located in Amritsar in the Indian state of Punjab.
The amazing spiritual presence coming from the Harmandir Sahib makes anyone easily feel that this place is Heaven’s gate.
The expression on the face of most of the pilgrims there shows a supreme bliss…

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With His Grace

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“The Lord God, the Giver of peace, has granted His Grace, I am rid of pain, sin and disease.”
(Guru Nanak – Founder of the religion of Sikhism and first of the ten Sikh Gurus, 1469-1539)

This guard holding a spear was walking along the samovar of the Golden Temple which is located in Amritsar in the Indian state of Punjab.
The Harmandir Sahib is the place to go for anyone in search of spirituality as it is under the Grace of God…

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Illuminated

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“From its brilliancy everything is illuminated.”
(Guru Nanak – founder of Sikhism and first of the ten Sikh Gurus, 1469-1539)

This young man was bathing in the holy tank of the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the holiest city in Sikhism, located in the Indian state of Punjab.
He left his Kirpan (steel sword) in his turban in order to keep this symbol of his faith with him and, like most of the people who come to the Harmandir Sahib, there was a real happiness flowing around him.

 

Songs of Joy

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“Sing the songs of joy to the Lord, serve the Name of the Lord, and become the servant of His servants.”
(Guru Nanak – founder of Sikhism and first of the ten Sikh Gurus, 1469-1539)
This musician was among a group of people playing music in front of the Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest city in Sikhism located in the Indian state of Punjab.
It was a moment of bliss at Heaven’s gate…

A beautiful prayer sung by Satinder Sartaj:

The True One

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“Those who conquer their minds are beings of renunciation and detachment.
They are beings of renunciation and detachment they are lovingly focused on the True One, they realize and understand themselves.”
(Guru Nanak – founder of Sikhism and first of the ten Sikh Gurus, 1469-1539)

After taking a deep in the Immortal Nectar of the Harmandir Sahib, this man was putting his clothes back on him.
He spread that fabric over his head which allowed to give a deeper significance to this portrait.
The Golden Temple is located in Amritsar, the holiest city in Sikhism, in the Indian state of Punjab.

 

“Within Your Own Heart”

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“For the sake of it, you journey to sacred shrines and holy rivers; but this priceless jewel is within your own heart.”
( From the Sri Guru Granth Sahib)

The Guru Granth Sahib, or Adi Granth, is the holy scripture and the final Guru of the Sikhs.
It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs (pages), compiled and composed during the period of Sikh Gurus, from 1469 to 1708.
It is a collection of hymns or shabad, which describe the qualities of God and why one should meditate on God’s name.

This picture was shot at the door opening to the Causeway to the Harmandir Sahib, in the Golden Temple complex located in Amritsar in the Indian state of Punjab.
This child sitting on his father’s shoulders manage to see the colourful crowd from a higher level.
It was easy to feel then that this priceless jewel is within the heart of everyone there.

Happy Independence Day

 

This is the Ashoka Chakra which is a depiction of the Dharmachakra, the Wheel of Dharma. 
The wheel has 24 spokes and symbolizes the teachings of the Buddha.
The Ashoka Chakra has been widely inscribed on many relics of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka The Great (Reigned 273-232 BCE), most prominent among which is the Lion Capital of Sarnath and The Ashoka Pillar.
The most visible use of the Ashoka Chakra today is at the centre of the National flag of the Republic of India which was adopted on 22 July 1947.

“Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. 
Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. 
The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. 
The green shows our relation to (the) soil, our relation to the plant life here, on which all other life depends. 
The “Ashoka Chakra” in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma. 
Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principle of those who work under this flag. 
Again, the wheel denotes motion. 
There is death in stagnation. 
There is life in movement. 
India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. 
The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change.”
(Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India’s first Vice President)

Today is India’s Independence Day (स्वतंत्रता दिवस) it is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate its independence from the British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947. 
This is the opportunity to thank all my Indian friends, all the people working with me and my loving Indian family who managed that I feel at home in this incredible country.
Thank you, dhanyavad, shukriya and Happy Independence Day to all of you, Indians and non Indians who love India as much as I do.
Jai Hind…!!!