A CIRCLE in a SQUARE

Well I was the other day reading an article that appeared in a not too well known but a relatively classy magazine, when I say classy it’s not just in price but in actual content and contributors, each chipping in a little about life in a manner you do not expect from them. (Looks like I am deviating from the t check myself coz I often do it. Guilty as charged.). The article dealt with the plight of manholes in todays world.

The immediate reaction to this is quite predictable. What’s a manhole got to do in this modern era? Well my sentiments exactly and I continued reading. Interestingly enough the article actually managed to show a totally different perspective of the term manhole. These seemingly insignificant obstructions in our daily path are like small windows to a seamy under city that we are connected to but yet know very little about.

These maladjusted manholes add to the chaos of our daily routine in several ways that we rarely comprehend or rather come to realize. It is not very uncommon to notice a manhole stand out like a stub in a carriage. A seemingly innocent bump in the road that turns into a traffic jam, somewhere along the way we have infact become conditioned to accept such minor deterrents with a shrug over the shoulder and say, ”athu saramilla, athindae chittum poiyal mathi”(it not a problem, just go around it). Though seemingly harmless they are and can be cause of grave accidents.

If it is the traffic jams caused by these manholes that is a cause of concern then I think it would be a better idea if you are to look below and into these cavernous network of tunnels that transport the sewage of our city. A jarring truth that hits us in the face is the very fact that we lack planning. It is only the reason of maladjusted drainage do the manhole intrude into the footpath and roads turning out to be the root cause for all our daily problems.

Identifying the manhole is never a problem it nothing but a simple circle in a square.