“London”! A name which is
familiar to many people across the globe; nursery students, teachers and
parents sing “London Bridge is falling down” as if London is right in front of
their eyes; English literature enthusiasts connect it with renowned poets,
novelists and dramatists of the past; sailors visit its docks with
nostalgia; people with a historical bent of mind go deep beyond its surface and
students of architecture see its gardens, cathedrals and palaces with awe.
What am I looking for?
All of the above to varying measures, I admit.
04 Oct 2014; we took
underground rail from North Greenwich to Baker Street and the first thing we
spotted on coming out of the station was a large statue of Sherlock Holmes and
going a bit further brought us to “Madame Tussauds”. We spent some time there looking at various
posters, kept its visit to a later date and came back to the bus boarding
point.
I donned my “Different Lens” when I boarded
the “Hop-in and Hop- out bus” and started looking for something special. We
went up to the open top, settled down in seats which offered good view, put on ear plugs and started
listening to the commentary with a lot of interest.
Trafalgar Square! We
hopped out at Trafalgar Square, the name ringing lot of bells. It was flanked to
its left by National Gallery and on to its right were a myriad of monuments and
statues standing as a testimony to history. I stood in front of a large
pedestal with four huge lions as guards of the cardinal points and a victory
pillar rising out of it. The pillar was engraved with murals of various naval
battles won by England and on its top was the statue of the commander who made
it happen. Behind me at a distance was “The Big Ben”, to the left was entrance
to “Buckingham Palace” and on to the right was “South Africa House”.
“My eyes feasting on the details, mind raced into history,
Seeing images of events, that changed course of the century;
Leaving an impact, as a print on a rock,
Then played their part, bidding time to take a stock”
National Gallery! A place
where paintings of great painters are preserved, offered a treat to my eyes. I
had never imagined that I will be able to see the paintings of Rembrandt,
Vincent Van Gough, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci and it was a
chance of life time. Paintings representing periods of Impressionist,
Renaissance et al adorned the gallery with great aplomb.
Buckingham Palace! We
boarded the bus, travelled for a short distance and hopped out at Green Park. A
vast expanse of green lush carpet grass, large sized furry tailed squirrels,
birch trees (its name evoking lot of memories) and plenty of pigeons led us to
the gates of Buckingham Palace. It was time for “Change of Guard” and a large
crowd comprising people of various nationalities gathered there to witness the
spectacle. Heavy down pour by the rain Gods did not dampen their enthusiasm by
even an iota. Mounted police controlling the crowd, the new detail walked in
full regalia with military band playing at their best. I watched the
proceedings with my mind racing back to my days of parades, ceremonies and the
soldier in me came alive. I heard him say quietly “once a soldier, always a soldier”.
Royal Albert Hall! A dream fulfilled. I was rearing to see the
place where pride of our nation, Lata Mangeshkar Ji gave a concert; “Royal
Albert Hall”. Amongst the songs rendered by her sweet voice was “Aye Mere Watan
ke Logon ….” and needless to say the performance was a grand success. Many
fellow country men and women followed suit since then.
As our bus came to a halt, we
hopped out unmindful of the pouring rain, crossed the road and rushed to the building.
Named after Prince Albert, it is a monument to be reckoned with, its name
prominently displayed on its front with a memorial of the prince placed across
the road. We went around its corridors, which amply depicted its rich history
substantiated by photographs, posters, news paper cuttings and so on. “Are you
pleased”? I asked myself. “More than that” pat came the reply.
Back in the bus! We
boarded the bus, sat on the open top “rain or no rain” and went through rest of
the sightseeing sitting there. As we passed through roads, squares, parks,
gardens, monuments, hotels, bridges, castles, cathedrals, towers and docks, I
was moving like a pendulum from past to present bringing into focus the history
I studied, movies I saw, novels I read, news I heard and documentaries I
watched in which the above appeared in some way or the other and was pleased to
recall them.
Down the memory lane! As
the guide carried on with audio commentary giving out names of the places we
passed through, it felt like a slide show of a photo album; Kensington Garden,
Hyde Park, Speakers’ Corner, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Marble Arch,
Piccadilly Circus, Eros Statue, Broadcasting House, London Bridge, Tower
Bridge, London Tower, London Eye, Big Ben, House of Commons, Shakespeare Globe,
Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Indian High Commission Building,
Harrods and so on; all bringing some distant memories nearer and nearer.
As the guide recounted anecdotes
from “Great Fire” and “Great Plague”, some connection was made to parts of
English literature I studied and the circumstances under which some works came
alive. The guide recalled the days of gallows and explained the origin of terms
like “one for the road” and “staying on the wagon”.
Back to Baker Street! A
day well spent, we got down from the bus at Baker Street and headed for the
underground rail. As we were returning home, people of various nationalities,
cultures, languages and interests whom we saw, interacted with and performed
the journey with us came in front of my eyes and my “Different Lens” came to
the fore once again.
“When I smiled at them and nodded my head as a greeting, they responded with a bigger smile; nothing came in between or acted as a barrier; boundaries forgotten, rising above the level of self; all became one; the one human nation”.
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