Arte indiana

art, borrowings by Western and non-Western artists continue to be evaluated differently; even post-colonial art criticism often seems unable to detach itself from such values. It is also impor-tant to be clear about the process of 'influence', which is not a passive process to which the 'influenced' artist submits; rather, he or she actively selects and appropriates specific features that are then combined in a distinctive manner. Such considerations are useful in looking at developments in architecture, sculpture and painting.

Independence was accompanied by partition, with the Punjab and Bengal being divided between the nations of India and Pakistan. The gracious Punjab capital of Lahore, embellished by many Mughal emperors, became part of Pakistan. Indian Punjab needed a new capital that would be, in the words of Pandit Nehru, India's first prime minister, 'the temple of the new India ... unfettered by the traditions of the past'. Two American architects were originally commissioned to execute

269 Le Corbusier. Assembly Hall, Chandigarh. 1951-64

and design the new city of Chandigarh (abode of goddess Chandi) on a vast plateau along the foothills of the Himalayas, but after the death of one and the withdrawal of the other, the task fell to Swiss architect Le Corbusier, the founding member of architectural Modernism. While Corbusier had spent consid-erable time writing about town-planning, he spent little time on the Chandigarh township itself, and its execution was left largely in the hands of a team of young Indian, Swiss and English architectural students. It was created as a grid of roads, intersecting at intervals to create 'sectors', and enclosed by the natural boundaries of two river beds. Laid out for fast motor traffic, it ignored the fact that half Chandigarh's inhabitants did not and still do not possess even a bicycle. Le Corbusier devoted his attention to crowning the city with a monumental complex of administrative buildings that exemplify his grand-ness of vision. The impressive buildings, created of poured concrete, were erected between 1951 and 1964. Compared with anything previous, it was startlingly modern, and rejected any pastiche which might have resulted from incorporating Indic features. Le Corbusier's Chandigarh buildings, like his creations in other parts of the world, incorporate such powerful geomet-ric shapes as upturned curves and cylindrical elements that are sculptural in effect (269); he also incorporated clear reflecting pools of water into the overall design. If his immensely dignified buildings are to be faulted, it is for their disregard of the realities of life in India, both climatic and social. Concrete absorbs and retains heat, leaving interiors hot in the summer and cold in the winter; the High Court building's walls, which did not connect with the roof, allowed the slanting monsoon rains in; the custom-designed seats ignored the tendency of the locals to use them as rests for their bare feet. Highlighting the intrinsic problems of 'planned' cities is the fact that Chandigarh's population vastly exceeded the original estimate of 150,000, with planned extensions to accommodate 500,000. However, its plan served as a useful template for extensions to already established towns.

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