Guest Column: Reinvent Chandigarh’s Sector 17, the Bryant Park way

If a New York park once overrun with drug dealers and prostitutes can be revitalised, Sector 17 has great potential to draw crowds again

Last week I happened to visit the Sector 17 market for the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak. The afternoon sun and the open spaces made an inviting combination. I happened to interact with the owner of a new café, an old family acquaintance, near the approach from the Rose Garden. He revealed that the footfall had begun to increase in the last few weeks as people were less inclined to visit the closed spaces of malls during the pandemic and instead preferred the open Sector 17 market.

Outdoor eateries, art and cultural activities and creation of special spaces for children and senior citizens can perhaps get the crowds flocking back to Sector 17. (HT Photo)

He sounded enthusiastic about the response he was getting and said he hoped the administration would allow outdoor seating for cafes and restaurants to entice more visitors.

This interaction set me thinking about my first visit to the market more than 50 years ago as a school student.

In the 1970s, Sector 17 had become the city centre with showrooms, three theatres (Neelam, Jagat, KC), offices, Parade Ground, the Inter State Bus Terminus, general post office and many open spaces. It emerged as the hub of activity when many businesses shifted there from Sector 22, including the Indian Coffee House, English Book Shop, Capital Book Shop and Gulatis.

Then, with major restaurants opening, Sector 17 started attracting bigger crowds. The generation growing up will not know that a road used to cut across the sector in front of Neelam Theatre till the concrete plaza was built along with the parking lots.

With the coming up of the Open Hand water feature and fountains near the over bridge, the open spaces became a haven for children and students. A few balloon sellers and booksellers on the pavement with an occasional pirated CD-DVD seller made your day livelier. Of course the shoeshine boys near Neelam theatre had always been there.

Losing its charm

Unfortunately, however, decades later, this market centre has lost its charm with the multiplex culture and mall-mania overtaking the city. Actually, its death knell sounded with the coming up of Elante Mall where you can spend hours in an air-conditioned environment.

It should have been a challenge for the administration to reinvent Sector 17, but it gave up without a fight. Still worse was to come. The takeover of all the open spaces by the phari market had ruined the city’s soul.

But then there are many things that are still in favour of Sector 17. It is the centre of the original Phase-1 of Le Corbusiers’ planning, it lies in close proximity to the Rose Garden, has huge open spaces and the best brands in town! Barring the few months of extreme summer, the place can still attract locals and tourists.

All that needs to be done is replicate successful models from across the world. Of the cities I have been to, I can think of Bryant Park, New York; Leicester Square, London; and Quincy market, Boston. All these three places have enough for weekend locals or tourists round the year.

However, Bryant Park can be used as a model to revitalise Sector 17 and supplement Corbusier’s plans for the city centre.

The ideal city centre

Sector 17 seems to be modelled on the city centres of any of Europe’s major destinations with a pedestrian-only zone surrounded by shopping areas and a few theatres/cinemas. The old cities have a few monuments and/or historical buildings, which Chandigarh lacks. The city centres of all European cities have a vibrant life, full of activities for all ages, again something which Chandigarh has ceased to have.

There used to be musical performances near the fountains on Saturdays which fizzled out after some years.

Bryant Park in Manhattan is a classic example of a park in the centre of a city being successfully managed by a private not-for-profit organisation, Bryant Park Corporation. It has an interesting history, undergoing restoration in the 1980s after being overrun by drug dealers and prostitutes.

The park has in its premises the NY Public Library, with underground stacks, open green lawns, a few memorabilia shops and a few eateries besides a reading room and restrooms. It hosts different events round the year, like movies, musical performances and programmes with local sports teams. There are classes on yoga, martial arts and knitting! All activities including ice-skating in winter is free.

The Chandigarh administration, in collaboration with local traders can easily reinvent Sector 17 into another Bryant Park. In fact, there is more open space in Sector 17 than in Bryant Park. To start with, parking areas in front of shops should be converted into greens with activities for children at one end, and a library, a few open-air eateries and a senior citizen corner at the other. A water body could be added to get the children back. Arts college students can be roped in to show their creations like sculptures and paintings. Portrait making in the evenings can be a big draw. Similarly, university students and cultural groups can be invited to present recitals, plays and other performances.

There could be a small area for Punjabi cuisine or street food like corn-on-the-cob or roasted sweet potatoes, especially for tourists. Different competitions for school children or college students can be held, including painting, story writing and musical performances. In fact, a competition to get the best ideas for reinventing Sector 17 could be organised to start with.

There is no limit to what can be done in different months of the year. On Sundays there could be flea market added to the activities. All major festivals can be celebrated here and a recreational centre also set up for children near the GPO area.

As has been done in Bryant Park, garden umbrellas can be set up with steel chairs and tables, free newspapers and free WiFi at various spots. Book launches, free movies, free plays and so much more can be organised here!

I hope the well wishers of the city bring back the glory days of the city centre.

(The writer is a professor at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. Views expressed are personal).