City escape

Chandigarh is a haven for amblers and cyclists, writes Geetanjali Krishna

Last week, just as I was admiring a gigantic sculpture of an open hand raised in the sun, someone whatsapped me a photograph of President Trump, a closed fist raised in triumph after his poorly-attended inauguration. I was in Chandigarh, far away from the tumult of present-day American politics, yet all I could do was reflect on how political discourse has changed over the decades, the open hand of the Nehruvian era being replaced by Trump’s closed fist and high walls. Meanwhile, underneath the Open Hand, there was an amphitheatre where a dance troupe from Rajasthan was rehearsing for a