Capitals and Monuments

Today for the first time we did not have the Prime Minister (wish him a speedy recovery) for the Republic Day, also the first time that I wasn't in India on 26th Jan. So what did I do about it? Well, I went out and took a look around the capital of another country. I took a walk around what American's know as the National Mall.

Like any other capital city in the world it is built to impress. So off I went in the direction of that huge edifice erected in the memory of George Washington. Though I couldn't really fathom the monument (I guess it is supposed to reflect his stature) it is a monument you aren't likely to forget, if not for anything then for the pure oddity of it. I thought Greenough's Zeus-like statue is a more apt monument for a man who in my opinion is great, not as much for winning a war as for relinquishing the power that that victory offered him. The sword in his hand, not drawn but actually with the hilt turned away, is what in today's world needs emphasizing. It truly is sad that this monument was not up to the sensibilities of the people due to his "clothes!"

But that's how it works especially when its "for the people, by the people and of the people" as so famously said by the man who sits in white marble splendour looking out towards that phallus jutting out into the sky. The man, who so long ago set in motion the chain of events that led to another taking his oath as the "most powerful man on earth," seemed to frown a little, probably disappointed at the amount of time his vision has taken to be realised.

The Capitol impressed like it is meant to, with its distinctive dome standing out against the colours of dusk. Which brings me back to what my wife said, "Capital's are built to impress!" like Rajpath or the India Gate or the pillars of the Parliament making that beautiful circle and the parade that I missed this year. They are all there to impress. A showcase for the world.

And then you come across something that is all that and more. The peace and quiet exhiliration I felt, one sunny winter morning, watching the man with the charkha at Rajghat was one such.