We,the People

It's a platform of expression of the people,by the people and for the people of Chandigarh. Ideas,thoughts,issues,problems...

Written by Parul
January 26, 2010 01:15 AM IST

3 min read

It’s a platform of expression of the people,by the people and for the people of Chandigarh. Ideas,thoughts,issues,problems…the intention here is to express it all,through creative endeavours like photography,dance,plays,music and discussions. The idea is to get many youth groups of the city together at one place and start from the beginning our very city. And the place chosen for the cultural jamming,the unique endeavour led by Dr Gaurav Chhabra is The Open Hand,the official symbol of the city,the main vision of which is to give and receive. We thought the eve of Republic Day was the ideal time to begin. Its sad that there are so many restrictions regarding the use of the place for discussions,meetings,exchange of ideas et al. What we want is that more public places like the Open Hand should be easily accessible to public. We have approached every department using the Right to Information Act to find out if there are any laws which restrict groups to get together here,but the tourism,police,traffic departments have written to us saying they have no concern with it, quips Dr Gaurav.

Though the groups had apprehensions of arrest, cancellation of the event and not being allowed to enter the area,at the end of the day,it was smooth sailing,which saw the Open Hand Republic,the collective effort of citizens of Chandigarh proving to be a huge success. Flying tri-colour kites,doing photography,lighting candles in support of Free the Open Hand Campaign…the cultural jamming saw more than 80 people get together and discuss issues about the city and also offer solutions. The Contemplation pit here is an ideal place to sit together and talk about what we can do for Chandigarh. Before we address global issues,lets tackle ones plaguing our city and that can be done with a free mind and spirit,one that the Open Hand signifies, Dr Chhabra added that citizens decided to use the illegal and unconstitutional restrictions imposed by the bureaucracy on visiting the Open Hand monuments as an example of the oppression of the spirit of Republic. To freedom!