It’s not just another official project, it’s an act of gratitude for us.’’ At most times, S K Sandhu, the bureaucrat heading the UT administration committee working on the Chandigarh War Memorial, is a man of few dry words but mention the memorial and he lets his enthusiasm talk.

He is not the only one. At the ruby and emerald Bouganvillea Gardens, every person associated with the memorial, quietly unfolding behind a silvery tin curtain, is passionate.

Framed by a jacaranda tree shooting a purple spray on the ground, executive engineer Harsh Kumar, gropes for words as he underlines the uniqueness of the project. ‘‘The design needs regular monitoring, every day, every inch. We have to work with military-like precision... after all it’s a tribute to our soldiers.’’

A people’s initiative led by The Indian Express which garnered over Rs 57 lakh, the first-of-its-kind memorial for the martyrs of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal resonates with popular participation. Conceived by former Punjab Governor Lt Gen J F R Jacob (retd) at the instance of The Indian Express (which had earlier led a similar initiative in Pune) in 2003, the Memorial will enshrine the names of nearly 9,000 martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation.

THE model of the Memorial was designed by two young students of the Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA), Nanaki Singh and Shivani Guglani, whose entry was adjudged the best by the people of Chandigarh after a competition was held amongst students.

Today contractor Rakesh Chander calls the al fresco petal-shaped memorial— imagine the figure of 6 intertwined with 9—his most challenging project to date. ‘‘It’s a series of elliptical circles with two or three radii, then there is the gradient—the memorial tapers down to 5.6 ft. We had to make special shuttering plates besides employing highly skilled labour,’’ says Chander, who is bemused by the 6 and 9. His house No is 69 and so is that of his vehicle. Talking of numbers, there is also a 786 emblazoned across a temporary toolshed. ‘‘Like the forces, we are very secular,’’ grins Kumar.

... contd.