Nek Chand’s art at Vishal Bali’s home in Chandigarh’s Sector 27 Chandigarh
Nek Chand’s generosity and artistic vision found its way to Vishal Bali’s home in Chandigarh’s Sector 27 more than 15 years ago. The creator of the Rock Garden gifted to the Bali family a figurine of a watchmen holding a lantern that now guards the home’s entrance. The sculpture is created with broken tiles and cement, Nek Chand’s favourite mediums to create masterpieces out of waste.
Bali and Nek Chand were neighbours and he was a gifted the sculpture, along with a few other residents of the area as a token of appreciation for the efforts towards the upkeep of their gardens. “Even today, along with the garden inside my home, I have maintained an area of the park overlooking our house,” says Bali, adding that it was Nek Chand’s way of appreciating the efforts of the residents towards the maintenance of the open areas outside their homes.
Bali says that Nek Chand would often interact with neighbours and would give them his artworks from time to time. “He had a vision and he would always be on the lookout for where his work could be kept. He also planted a
few plants in the sector’s park. Despite his fame, Nek Chand was a calm, content, generous and humble person,” recalls Bali.