OverView of Sector 22

History of Sector 22, Chandigarh

Introduction

Sector 22 in Chandigarh was the first sector where residential construction started in early 1950s. Its construction was far ahead of all other sectors. In the 1950s, sector 22 was the center of entertainment and business activity.

When Sector 22 was Young

By mid 1950s, Sector-22 had a middle school, a hospital (temporary), a cinema (Kiran), a hotel (Aroma), a shopping center and homes for government servants. It was all new. It was gleaming. It was beautiful. Roads had sidewalks and green grass along the sidewalks. In some places, there were flower bushes. People came out in the evening for a stroll (sair) in sector 22 shopping center. Traffic was light. There were hardly any motorized vehicles. Bicycles and rickshaws ruled the day. It was very pleasant to walk in the shopping center.

The shopping Center in Sector 22

In the early 1950, this shopping center had some small single story stores and some large double story stores. All store had a covered walkway in front of the stores. Then there was uncovered walkway in front of the covered walkway. In addition, there was a grassy area in front of the stores. In some places, there were flowers too. It all looked beautiful and a great place to shop and walk in the evening. People enjoyed all kinds of snacks (Chaats) and ice creams on their strolls.

Some people did not walk on the walkways. They took shortcuts through the grassy areas. Over time, one could see the footpaths crossing the grassy areas in every direction. Government put barbed wire fence around the grassy areas. But that did not work either. Eventually, government just paved the grassy areas. It was hard to maintain grassy areas wherever they were. So the beautiful look began to fade.

The Middle School in Sector 22

The middle school in Sector 22 served everyone in the area. Even kids from sector 16 (The sector for higher income people) attended this school. Some kids from nearby villages also took advantage of this school. However, for education beyond middle school, kids from sector 22 had to go to other sectors. By 1955, high school in sector 21 was ready for anyone in area. By 1957, a college in sector 23 opened its doors for anyone in the area. Of course by 1959, Punjab university in sector 14 was up and running.

Kiran Cinema in Sector 22

Kiran cinema was located in the sector 22 shopping center near “Quality” restaurant. It was the only cinema within 30-kilometer radius. It was air-conditioned. Some people went to the movies just to escape the heat. In the early 1950s, the cheapest ticket was less than one Rupee. Balcony ticket was 3 Rupees. Most popular movie at that time was Naya Daur. There was a rickshaw stand close to Kiran cinema. This cinema attracted many visitors to sector 22 every day and business was booming.

Aroma Hotel

About 100 Meters from Kiran cinema was Aroma hotel. This was the only hotel in the 1950s. It looked very posh. It also attracted many visitors to sector 22.

Man Made Mountain

Between the Kiran cinema and the Aroma hotel, there was park for children to play. In this park, there was a man made mountain. This mountain was covered with grass, bushes and small trees. There were pathways up, down and around this mountain. It was a kid’s dream world. This park attracted many kids from other sectors also. Unfortunately, at a later date government decided to use this area for something else. Consequently, the mountain was gone.

A Doctor in Sector 22 (in the early 1950s)

There were so many people working in Chandigarh and there was no doctor until a young doctor decided to open his shop in sector 22. He was a recent M.B.B.S. graduate. He rented a small shop (10 feet by 10 Feet). His business took off. In a year or so, he moved to a bigger shop in sector 22. In another year or so, he bought a car. His success was the envy of any one did not become a doctor. But he was a role model for students who were thinking of becoming a doctor.

Other Facilities around Sector 22

Although sector 22 was the center entertainment and business activity, it was not self-sufficient. In addition to schools in other sectors, residents of sector 22 had to use other facilities in nearby sectors. For example, the bus stand and fair ground were in sector 17. A nursery garden and a swimming pool were in sector 23. A park was in nearby sector 16. In addition, a much bigger hospital opened up in sector 16.

Temporary Shopping Center Called Bajwara

When shopping center in sector 22 was still under construction, a temporary shopping center sprang up on the west boundary of sector 22 (on the old Ropar road). This shopping center assumed the name Bajwara after the name of a nearby village Bajwara.

  The shops in Bajwara were made of wooden structures called “Khokhas” in Punjabi. Khokhas were about 3x3x3 meter cubes. Over time, it grew quite large and provided all kinds of goods and services.

There was an auction place in Bajwara where farmers could sell all kinds of vegetables wholesale to merchants. Some of these merchants had mobile carts (Raidees), which allowed them sell vegetables door to door in sector 22 and others sectors.

Even after the shopping center in sector 22 was completed, Bajwara remained popular because goods there were cheaper than in sector 22. This difference in price was due to difference in rent.

In the monsoon season, unpaved streets in Bajwara became a big mess. In spite of this type of problem, Bajwara stayed relevant for a long time. That is, until Chandigarh decided to expand beyond sector 22.

Importance of Sector 22 Fades in the 1960s

In the early 1960s, the center of entertainment and business activity began to move to sector 17 and importance of sector 22 began to fade. Two new cinema halls (Neelam and Jagat) opened up in sector 17. This sector also had bigger shops, banks and office buildings. No wonder that sector 16 became more important than sector 22.

Only One good Road: It Starts at Sector 22

The French architect who designed the city, did it for the bicycle age. He never considered that someday India might have cars. How can a highly educated person who lived in France and make that mistake? Look at Chandigarh today. It is has terrible traffic jams during the rush hour.

There is only one road in Chandigarh that can be considered adequate for city like this. This road in Chandigarh starts at the intersection of sectors 22, 23, 16 and 17 and ends at high court. There should have been many more roads like this.

Now Chandigarh is stuck with narrow roads. Chandigarh is now digging up sidewalks and putting in rickshaw and bicycle paths. What a heavy price for a bad original design!

A Fact Lost In History

Chandigarh was conceived between 1948-1950. There was lot of resistance from farmers in the villages, who stood to lose their land. They demonstrated against it. At that time, Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister. There were many nasty slogans against the construction of this city and the prime minister.

The government defeated the demonstrators by using an unheard of tactic. Government did not put the demonstrators in prison. Instead, the government arrested them and bused them about 30 kilometers away.  The demonstrators had to walk back to their village. It is not an easy job to walk that much every day. So the resistance died down and the villagers accepted inevitable.

The little known historical fact is that initially, the locals did not celebrate the birth of Chandigarh. Instead, they resisted it.