To mark the birth centenary of Nek Chand, the man who brought India's first planned city on the international map through his creations from waste material, environmental justice activists came together in Canada’s Surrey for the unveiling of a calendar dedicated to him.
The creator of the famous Rock Garden in Chandigarh, which houses sculptures made out of waste material, was born on December 15, 1924.
The 2024 calendar published by Radical Desi, an online magazine and released on Saturday, along with others bears important dates related to the environmental movement.
Anjali Appadurai, a well-known climate justice activist, did the unveiling. She had previously run for the federal election and also for the leadership of the ruling BC NDP. She was presented with the Environmental Justice Hero Award on the occasion by anti-racism educator Annie Ohana on behalf of Radical Desi.
Appadurai, who was the keynote speaker, shared the story of her political journey and why it is important to talk about the environment in today’s world grappling with both climate emergency and social injustice.
A moment of silence was held at the beginning of the event in memory of the firefighters who died this year in the line of their duties both in Canada and across the globe and thousands of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks.
Others who addressed the gathering included Shukouh Farshidfar from Hamsoo, a group dedicated to recycling and waste management, Tara Shushtarian from West Coast Climate Action Network, Ravneet Singh from Eco Sikh, prominent entertainment jockey Gaurav Shah who is from Chandigarh and has been associated with Rock Garden as an event organizer, renowned journalist Gurvinder Singh Dhaliawal, who is vocal on human rights and Radical Desi Director Gurpreet Singh.
Jennifer Sherif from Indigevision was the Master of Ceremonies. Being an indigenous educator, she made all the connections between the indigenous people's unique relationship with the land and the broader climate justice movement.