The bridge to hope

Bridges are very symbolic, when they are built between nations, they bring peace. Bridges between people bring them closer. But a bridge that was awaited for decades,  seemed almost surreal as I drove through yesterday.

You cannot think of another example of a ‘would-be’ smart city that must have craved and longed for a small bridge than Belagavi!

We had almost given up that it would happen in our lifetime. Who would have known better than me who has spent hours at the PB Road gate craning my neck at the train that never seemed to arrive in time. Murphy ’s Law played to full perfection here. So the probability of the gate being closed was proportional to the urgency of your work. So one had to factor in a good 20 minutes of additional commute time, just to wait at the gate.

People of my city have collectively spent years at the railway crossing gates for all these years. One can only imagine their agony as they looked on helplessly, kids in tow, headed towards the schools. How much would it cost after all? Not more than the time, anguish and fuel put together. But some things take their own royal time to arrive. More so when the time taken is for building a collective will at the power centers. Brick and mortar structures take less time to construct, than will, after all! And so here we have, THE BRIDGE to hope.

It feels great to poke some fun at the railway below while you can zoom past. This part of the city looks so different from above. The best view is of the giant trees within the Kapileshwar temple, whose canopy greets you from the incline. One can only sympathize for the people who suffered loss to property, but then development always comes at a cost. The one concern that bothers is the clock tower whose façade is at a hand’s distance and stands the danger of being damaged.

After all the fanfare of an inaugural, the sheer number of people who thronged the bridge can only be matched by the sight once seen when the Suvarn Vidhan Soudha was inaugurated. Only time will tell the fate of the other end of the city, Tilakwadi, where people wait at the gate even while running small chores across the gate.

Every single day! But nWe’ve had enough roads now, it’s time we build some more bridges, to hope, and development!