'Lost Lahore in Partition, today we've got world heritage city'

The group of buildings - the assembly, the secretariat, the tallest structure of the city, and the high court - represents Le Corbusier's most significant creation and one of the best expressions of Purism and Brutalism in architecture. The significance of the complex can be gauged from the fact that in 2011 when it was not part of a transnational dossier on Le Corbusier, the Unesco had rejected it for not including "one of the major urban works of Corbusier".
On Sunday, Unesco, in a statement, said these sites, which were built over a period of a half-century, in the course of what Le Corbusier described as "patient research", reflect "the solutions that the modern architectural movement sought to apply during the 20th century to the challenges of inventing new architectural techniques to respond to the needs of society". "These masterpieces of creative genius also attest to the internationalization of architectural practice across the planet," the statement added.
The announcement sparked off joyous reactions from city residents. Rajnish Wattas, a heritage expert and former principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, called it a historic day. "We lost Lahore in Partition, but today we have got a world heritage city. But with this status, there will also come a greater responsibility for protecting our heritage," said Wattas.
For M N Sharma, an architect who worked closely with Le Corbusier on building Chandigarh and was the first Indian chief architect of the city, the inclusion was long overdue. "It's a moment of great joy. Finally after a long delay, Le Corbusier has been awarded what he deserved. Chandigarh should have been included in the heritage list along with Brasilia way back in 1987," said Sharma, who had launched campaigns preserving the Corbusier heritage and for getting Capitol Complex Unesco heritage status.
The Chandigarh administration had been trying to get the tag for almost a decade beginning in 2006.