Girls’ school adopts Rock Garden in Chandigarh
By IANSSaturday, January 30, 2010
CHANDIGARH - In a novel initiative, a leading girls’ school here Saturday formally adopted the city’s famous Rock Garden tourism landmark to keep it clean and free of graffiti.
Students and faculty members of Carmel Convent School, located in Chandigarh’s upscale Sector 9, arrived at the Rock Garden Saturday and cleaned the walls that were covered with obscene graphics and messages.
Around 200 Carmelites, holding placards with slogans “Cleaning Rock Garden” interacted with the Rock Garden’s creator, Nek Chand, and Chandigarh Home Secretary Ram Niwas and put forth their suggestions to preserve and protect the invaluable heritage.
“A little contribution to make Rock Garden more beautiful, neat and tidy will give us immense satisfaction,” the home secretary told the students.
In the past years, volunteers from other countries, especially Britain, have arrived at the Rock Garden and cleaned up the sprawling complex.
Rock Garden is famous worldwide for the single-handed dedication of Nek Chand to create a dream world from absolute waste - from broken cups and saucers to bathroom fittings to bangles.
Around 200 students of Carmel Convent have been divided into two groups of 100 each who will visit the Rock Garden once or twice in a month and spend two to three hours doing different activities. The entry of all such students will be free of cost.
The girls have volunteered their services for garbage cleaning, collecting litter, cleaning graphics on walls, painting, clicking pictures and face painting.
Niwas told the students that all participants will be issued a special card by the Chandigarh administration for their volunteer services rendering to preserving the marvels from waste.
Niwas has asked various government and private schools to come forward to adopt heritage monuments and tourist spots in the city such as Government Museum and Art Gallery Sector 10, Portrait Gallery Sector 17, Rose Garden, Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, Leisure Valley, Terrace Garden, Botanical Garden Sector 42 Lake and Beant Singh memorial.
