Chandigarh’s Rose Festival at Zakir Hussain Rose Garden
“One of the tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”
― Dale Carnegie
While thinking about roses and festivals associated with roses it is fairly easy to think about the alluring rose festivals at Tuscany, Bulgaria, and Morocco, one may even think about the ancient Roman practice of Rosalia or about the Kashan Rose Festival of Iran however, these enthralling festivals around the world makes it easy for one to forget about India’s centuries-long love for roses. From skincare to food, India is known to have a long history with roses which becomes all the more symbolic during the cool months of February and March in sector 16 at Chandigarh’s Zakir Hussain Rose Garden which also happens to be Asia’s largest rose garden. Spread across 30 acres of land, this rose garden built by Dr. M.S. Randhawa who is also fondly remembered as the ‘6th River of Punjab’ due to his contributions for the development of Punjab boasts of having over 1600 species of roses and is also one of the main reasons as to why Chandigarh is also referred to as ‘City beautiful’.
The Zakir Hussain rose garden plays host to one of Chandigarh’s most popular festivals, The Rose Festival, the festival is celebrated annually during the months of February and March in order to pay homage to the beauty of roses and is a paradise for every nature lover, what makes the festival all the more fascinating is the fact that roses in the garden are often named after famous personalities such as Lal Bahadur Shastri, John F Kennedy and, even Queen Elizabeth.
During the rose festival, the garden hosts competitions for adults and children such as photography and Bonsai, one may also take a helicopter ride to view the spectacle that Chandigarh is, and it is a must to relish the mouth-watering local Punjabi cuisine or continental cuisine served across the garden in small stalls. The Rose Festival also displays Punjabi culture and holds cultural events including musical concerts by Ammy Virk and Satinder Sartaj, however, it is not just the roses and events that are pleasing but the themes chosen that captivate the public, in 2021 the rose festival was conducted in a limited manner and was dedicated to the frontline workers who have helped in India’s battle against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020 the rose festival was dedicated towards women empowerment and displayed a variety of pink roses with pink being the chosen color for the festival in 2020, in 2019 the festival was dedicated to the martyrs of the Pulwama attack and in 2018 the festival had a special display and stall by transgenders in order to spread awareness about transgenders and their rights in society. Overall, with captivating gardens and themes, the rose garden is a must-visit not just for a nature lover but also for the common folk.
