ElaNeel

The plan

Two days. Four moments.

What to wear

Available in four finishes.

How it was drawn

Ten years, in ink and pencil.

Two architects, one drafting table, ten years. Ela tells it in ink. Neel tells it in pencil.

1. 

   2016

   One straight line

   Ela, in inkFirst day of first year. Prof. Sidhu asked us to draw one straight line, a metre long, freehand. Mine wobbled. His was perfect.

   Neel, in pencilI used a ruler under the sheet. She was the only one who noticed. She didn't tell anyone. That's when I liked her.

2. 

   2018

   Sector 17

   Ela, in inkWe drew the Capitol together for a term, every Saturday. He brought the chai; I brought the eraser.

   Neel, in pencilCorbusier painted the columns red, yellow, green. I told her red was the only one that mattered.

3. 

   2020

   Two cities

   Ela, in inkAhmedabad for my master's. He was in Bengaluru. We sent each other floor plans of our days.

   Neel, in pencilHers always had a room labelled 'Neel, eventually'.

4. 

   2025

   The proposal

   Ela, in inkHe gave me a drawing of a house: two rooms, one courtyard, a single door. It said 'Ours?' in pencil.

   Neel, in pencilShe redlined it in ink. 'Yes. Fewer doors.' We've been building it since.

5. 

   2027

   Back to the grid

   Ela, in inkChandigarh, where it started. A brick courtyard, a fire, sunset.

   Neel, in pencilSeven rounds. No ruler this time.

Tech specs

Ela & Neel.

Models

Ela Bedi, architect, Chandigarh. Neel Pradhan, architect, Gangtok.

Dimensions

Two people. One courtyard. A hundred and forty chairs, on four sides of one fire.

Finish

Ivory, mostly. One red dot.

Materials

Brick, concrete, white silk, a lot of chai.

Battery

Neel lasts until 11 PM. Ela lasts until the last song.

Connectivity

Chandigarh ↔ Gangtok, 1,700 km. Punjabi, Nepali, Hindi, English.

In the box

Two families, two grandmothers, forty khada scarves, one grinding stone.

Warranty

Seven lifetimes. One for each round of the fire.

Release date

Sun, 21 Feb, at sunset.

Getting here

Three steps to the courtyard.

1. 01

   You land

   Chandigarh Airport (IXC), 12 km, about 25 minutes to Sector 10.

   • 19 Feb: flights landing 7:10 AM (London via Delhi), 11:25 AM (Bagdogra via Delhi), 4:40 PM (Bengaluru)
   • Kalka Shatabdi: we meet the morning train on 20 Feb
   • Delhi airport: one shared car at 6:00 AM on 19 Feb, ask Meher

2. 02

   You sleep

   • Hotel Mountview, Sector 10Families and elders. A five-minute walk to the courtyard; step-free rooms on the ground floor.
   • The Lake Rooms, Sector 6Friends. Ten minutes on foot from the lake, for the sangeet.

3. 03

   You walk

   The city is flat and the trees are old. Between functions:

   • Walk the Capitol Complex on Saturday morning (bring ID)
   • Rock Garden: Nek Chand built it out of broken plates
   • Breakfast at the Indian Coffee House, Sector 17
   • Sukhna Lake at sunrise

Late February in Chandigarh: about 24°C by day and 10°C at night. Sunny afternoons, cold evenings. Bring a shawl for the lake.

Can't be in Chandigarh?

Watch the pheras live.

Streamed from the courtyard, with a line explaining each ritual as it happens. The first round, on every clock in the family:

• Chandigarh

  Sun 16:30

• Gangtok

  Sun 16:30

• London

  Sun 11:00

• Toronto

  Sun 06:00

Pick a side

Ink or pencil?

Ela draws in ink and never erases. Neel draws in pencil and erases everything. Pick a side; each line grows with its votes.

And a quiz

Ten questions. No rulers.

Couple quiz

How well do you know Ela & Neel?

10 questions · 15 seconds each · family leaderboard

Play

Before you ask

Questions, answered.