India, Sept. 10 -- Cities are rarely born in a single moment. They emerge slowly-from dreams sketched on drawing boards, the sweat of workers, the resolve of administrators, and the quiet hopes of ordinary people. Yet every city has a day when those dreams take tangible form, and for Chandigarh, that day remains etched in the collective memory of generations.

For me, Chandigarh's inauguration has always been more than a chapter in a textbook. It is a cherished family story, retold over countless evenings, where history mingles with affection and memory acquires the warmth of lived experience.

My maternal grandfather, Chaudhary Hem Raj, was serving as the tehsildar of Kharar when the city was inaugurated. Among the many responsibilities ...