bns's blog: unMonoi

bns's blog: unMonoi: Ever heard of a bridge that's alive ? A bridge sturdy enough to hold the weight of perhaps twenty men that lives , breathes & feeds too ?...

unMonoi

Ever heard of a bridge that's alive ?

A bridge sturdy enough to hold the weight of perhaps twenty men that lives , breathes & feeds too ?

Come with me and I'll show you one !

Remember bridges even happen when a monkey uses one branch of a tree high up in the heavens to hold onto as it flies onto another tree's branch ...  An ephemeral bridge happened just then when this monkey swung from branch to branch....

But this is not about such flimsy abstractions !

This a bridge made entirely of plant roots n branches that stretches across a roaring mountain stream (well it wasn't when I saw it but apparently does during the rains) all of 30+ feet and which roots securely plant themselves into the earth on the other side.

It takes years for such a bridge to be architected and made available. The tree needs to grow towards the other side of the stream. The people of the hills - apparently one of three tribes - the Khasi , know they can wait for, all their work is towards the well being of the whole community and though this bridge would be ready only many years after they decided on its creation, it would surely come in handy for the future of their tribe.

A Khasi child who was mighty delighted to hear "Khublei !" (Thanks!)