The bridge in the cantonement area between mel's house and ann's place is the perfect place to be. it's better known as only 'the bridge' by it's frequent visitors.not so frequent anymore.it's a seemingly hidden passage that leads to.. nowhere?? i never bothered finding out what lies at the other side. the way to the bridge used to be camouflaged with shrubs,bushes and thorns(always a pain) and if you're not looking for it chances are that you won't find it. but once you do,you'll think you're blind or just plain stupid for not spotting it on your own right away(that goes for me atleast)
Steep rickety steps lead to the start of the bridge and from there it's pretty easy to find my spot,bang in the centre just above the flowing sabarmati.sit still and dangle your feet in the empty space beneath.
There might be a million stories to be told about it but only a handful intertwine with my existence.many have lost their 'chappals' to the river.some friends their credit cards and other important(always important) documents and a few,their girlfriends.oh did i mention sushant almost got pulled into the quicksand around the bridge? it's an ideal place to fulfill your romantic notions-the beggining of the end or the end of the beginning.
But for me,it was none of these. just somewhere where i can retire for a while if i got lucky because it's pretty isolated out there.i learnt. i learnt that moss,rain water and unreliable footwear is a highly dangerous combination!i've fallen but fortunately never in the river.i realized that hitting my head on the rocks below definitely wouldn't be the best way to die.and also that sitting on the edge,wedged between the pillars can't kill you but a gentle shove can!
So, above the river Sabarmati i sat and didn't weep.and i don't mean to pull a paulo coelho!
Now,the entrance to the bridge has been cleared.no more is it hidden by wild bushes and all so the place has lost a little bit of it's appeal already.no more do i feel the magic of the place-the water, the stars, the sun and me.the bridge is a faint memory becoming fainter.and one fine day i guess it will entirely fade away.sigh..is it really true that good things end so better can begin?
4 comments:
as a child i always dreamt that when i grew up and started earning, i'd treat myself to ice cream every day.
i am earning now and can afford the occasional cone. but can't remember the last time i had ice cream.
makes you wonder, doesn't it?
hmm.. sure does. maybe the ice cream dream has been replaced by something else?
what i meant was this - everything loses its charm after the bushes have been cleared away and the path to it made easier.
haha.. you could have just said so then! absolutely right
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