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Beautiful Bridges # 3 – A Bridge 350 Years in the Making

Built in the 1600s, Kintaikyō Bridge (popularly ‘Kintai’) in Iwakuni across the Nishiki river is arguably Japan’s most famous bridge. Its has five graceful arches set on four stone and two wooden pillars that languorously embellish the river’s 200-meter width as they span it majestically. But there is also a delicate tenderness in the structure, exudingContinue reading “Beautiful Bridges # 3 – A Bridge 350 Years in the Making”

Beautiful Bridges # 2: Living Roots

Man-made bridges inspire approval, admiration, approbation and appreciation; but what about bridges created by nature in its playful mood? Perhaps they inspire, awe and amaze even more because no engineering skill or creative talent can even remotely match them, let alone emulate them. Root bridges are formed when trees overhanging flowing streams join and intertwineContinue reading “Beautiful Bridges # 2: Living Roots“

The Mother of American Modernism

“It is only by selection, by elimination, and by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things.” Georgia Totto O’Keeffe was one of the few painters to have earned, sustained, and enjoyed the attention and adulation of commoners and connoisseurs alike and remained celebrated both during and after their lifetime. Known for her paintingsContinue reading “The Mother of American Modernism“

Beautiful Bridges # 1 – The Queen

“Of all the things I can do On this earth I want to build A bridge From my heart to yours” – Alexandra Vasiliu Bridges symbolise connectivity. Over time, these passageways became an expression of architectural marvel and creative imagination, testament to impressive feats of human ingenuity and engineering, and a means of displaying beautifulContinue reading “Beautiful Bridges # 1 – The Queen“

Bridge to Happiness

BridgesConjoin and carry, relate and linkEnds that areSeparated by divide, gulf, driftMeeting the nothingnessWith purpose, alliance, and shift! In pursuit of happiness The hiatus is often hugeThe gap, abyss, riftSo seemingly unbridgeable.Standing at one edgeI constantly wonder! How does one understandThe nature of this chasm?What stands between meAnd the end beyond?What is that impediment, thatContinue reading “Bridge to Happiness”

A Bridge in Clouds

Have you ever seen a bridge?Floating, gliding, soaringAimlessly driftingOn a soft puffy bedIn colours brilliant and vibrantOf tender luminosity! I standOn this bridgeFloating and flyingIn the blissful nothingnessIn a beautiful voidLost to time and space! Am I thenA speck of a magnificent wholeFlowing with the tideOr, Am I the master ofA destiny and choiceBlessedly thatContinue reading “A Bridge in Clouds”

Bridges in the Clouds

Puffed clumps of hallowed hollowsPink, Mauve, Violet, BlueSwim, Float, slide, glideIn the sea of nothingnessMajestically romping with grace andUncommon pulchritude! They butClash, collide, coalesceGently often but alsoViolently and brutallyAs if filled with rageOf uncontrolled ferocity! What if there wereBridges connecting them?Bridges that also float and glideMove and march with themWhat if, they effortlesslyShift from oneContinue reading “Bridges in the Clouds”

Bridges that Bridge Civilisations (Contd.)

The Karamagara Bridge This bridge as representative in its design as of the era it belonged to, is under water today. But its engineering and architectural value remain as enduringly significant as its remarkable historicity. The bridge, along with much of the Arapgir Çayı valley, has been submerged since the completion of the Keban Dam onContinue reading “Bridges that Bridge Civilisations (Contd.)”

Bridges that Bridge Civilisations(Contd.)

The Limyra Bridge of Turkey Built over 1800 years ago and not in the notice of the world at large till late, this antiquated and largely neglected bridge with its unique structure representing old world architecture and engineering, commands an uncommon and unusual value as a precious piece of antiquity.Located near Lymra in Lycia, Turkey, in aContinue reading “Bridges that Bridge Civilisations(Contd.)”