Monday 6 July, 2009

The Linker - Just a bridge?

It is absolutely poetic. An example of beauty. A symbol of progress. A
massive achievement of engineering. A tribute to Indians.
 
Yes. I am still talking about The Linker aka Bandra Worli Sea Link.
Didnt matter that it took me twenty five minutes to get on it. What
mattered was that I got off it in the shortest fifteen minutes of my
life.
 
For those fifteen minutes I felt I was not in the real world. There
was something about this monstrosity that enchanted me and I couldnt
take my eyes off her. The glistening black road helped by the light
drizzle was a perfect contrast to the cables illuminated by brilliant
white lights. It transcended me into the surreal.
 
It was anticipation that took me till I reached the portion enforced
by the giant cables; and when I did reach them I could not stop
looking up. The cables looked like they were suspended in mid air with
the support of the bridge and not the other way round. I now can
totally understand everyone who took a U turn to go back on it just to
have another look.
 
It was midnight and this was already a local attraction. Dont know
what tourists will do. This is much more than a bridge linking two
destinations to reduce traffic. This is a symbol. A symbol that will
mean so many different things to so many different people. To me, it
reinforces what Dr. Manmohan Singh said (he was quoting Victor Hugo)
before presenting the 1991 budget, "No power on earth can stop an idea
whose time has come". Yes, I am in love with that idea.
 
That is what this bridge means to me.

Posted via email from Aditya's Blog

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