Art work of Nek Chand’s at the house of RP Sharma at sector-48, Chandigarh
EVEN AFTER more than three decades, R P Sharma remembers the exact day and moment he met Nek Chand in the year 1979. A regular visitor to the Rock Garden in the capacity of a photo journalist and as someone who greatly admired the creative efforts and vision of Nek Chand, Sharma shares how he would take hundreds of photographs of the sculptures that were being made then, capturing the conceptualisation and the process of creation. “Nek Chand used to come to us and we used to call him Babuji. He would personally give us a tour of the entire area and explained as to what he planned to make in a specific corner or how he wanted to develop the second phase of the Garden. I remember every conversation, like it happened yesterday,” smiles Sharma.
A constant reminder of Nek Chand and his art are six works by Nek Chand that Sharma proudly displays in his Sector 48 home. The sculpture of a chowkidaar, gardener, two ducks and a couple, made of broken tiles, stones, cement.remind the family of Nek Chand’s genius and his unique style. “When he gifted me the first one, I was taken aback and surprised. It was an unexpected gift, because neither did I ask for a work and nor did he mention anything. Just the day before, when I had visited him, I remember appreciating his work and commenting that it was simply splendid. The very next day, I had one of the works at my doorstep! You can imagine my delight,” recalls Sharma, who was gifted the sculpture of a chowkidaar in 1990.
Their friendship grew with time as whatever time Sharma got between assignments, he would go and spend it with Nek Chand, sitting on a swing near his office in the Rock Garden, “We used to talk endlessly till it was time to go, it was pretty much a daily routine,” remembers Sharma.
Gracious and generous is how Sharma describes Nek Chand, remembering the time he was posted in Lucknow in 1998. As a farewell gift, Nek Chand presented him with another of his beautiful sculptures, to remember him in his new home in Lucknow. “Whoever walks into our house is simply stunned by the works and the effort that has gone into creating these. His art, be it in Lucknow or Chandigarh, is loved and appreciated and he lives on in the hearts of people, as his art and his love for people is eternal. I remember him as a cheerful and loving person, who was keen to share his views and wanted to make the ones around him happy and feel special. It’s nothing but an honour to know him and being friends with him is a special feeling of grace. Nek Chand will continue to live in my memories and heart,” smiles Sharma.
