While had planned to stay with the Sodhis for three nights, they told us of Jat protests in Haryana which had recently stopped trains and blocked roads. So Yuvraj made a plan for us to drive to Chandigarh and stay with his uncle, then drive around Haryana to Delhi the next day. (As it turned out the protests spread, the danger factor increased, and no taxis to Delhi could be found. So we flew from Chandigarh to Delhi.)

This first set of pix is of TV news reports about the protests, Yuvraj negotiating with police after they had stopped his friend’s car for having no papers and carrying our luggage, Indian bikers at a McDonalds, and views from the road…

Yuvraj took us to the Chandigarh Rose Garden (the largest in Asia) and it just so happened there was a flower show! Had fun in the playground, got interviewed by Global Punjab TV, then went to a shopping area (I think called Sector 17?) where we had a nice lunch…

Some panos of the park…

After lunch we went to the Lake Sukhna where many folks were boating, and we saw an impromptu children’s performance. In addition to three rescue dogs, Yuvraj’s aunt & uncle have a pet squirrel. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of “Poochi,” but here’s the view from their apartment. Here are some pix…

Some vids…

Study Questions:

1. Chandigarh is a planned city. Research planned cities in general or Chandigarh in particular. How is it done? What are the considerations? What works and what doesn’t? What’s interesting in Chandigarh or urban planning in general?
2. Choose between protesting or rose gardens. Research and discuss…