As a country that was colonized by the British at some point, we are a mixed bag when it comes to architecture. Massive old Georgian architectural marvels standing wide, post-colonial era structures faded by smoke and time, and relatively newer and taller apartments which are shiny on the outside and dull on the inside all co-exist nonchalantly in the same city. I am apprehensive about the architectural marvels that are often disregarded and considered lowly. The ones that have been standing inept, generation after generation amidst regional wars, communal riots, and natural disasters. The ponds, lakes, wells, walls, and tunnels. They were made by human beings from another era.
I will now tell you about this tunnel that leads to another part of my town. It was dilapidated and appeared like it would crumble any minute. My grandmother who is now well into her 80s says that the tunnel is as ancient as it gets. It has a soul, stoic and sober, and many denominations too. It was called the Old Warden tunnel until the 1960s and then renamed to Katbundar Tunnel in an attempt to erase the generational abuse by colonizers. People who commuted to and fro using the tunnel knew how filthy and unlit it was, and with a footbridge being constructed above was eventually abandoned.
A couple of months ago, this tunnel gained fame for an unassociated reason. Some teenagers found human remains buried underneath the tunnel. The officials later discovered that it belonged to a boy who was reported missing by his family 20 years ago. It was soon revealed that the boy was murdered and buried by his girlfriend’s family. At some point, the lovers had planned to elope and live together. The girl’s family did not approve of the relationship owing to the boy’s socio-economic status. When things got out of hand, the boy was murdered. The girl not wanting to live without her partner killed herself shortly.
All this said, now the tunnel has been repainted, lit thoroughly, and has been renamed as the Tunnel of Love.
After all, “What’s in a name?
A tunnel is a tunnel is a tunnel!
-RR
A prompt from Puttingmyfeetinthedirt.
Anonymasked 