The air outside seemed calmer and fresher than it had been yesterday. For many months now, the construction of a new residential building has been in full swing. The land which grew coconut trees adjacent to my apartment was shaved down to meet the business, market residential needs of some more Bangaloreans. A single file of eight trees separated our building from the construction site. Perhaps, the builder left these trees to grow as he had to meet his marketing need. They proudly call it 'The Coco Gooves'! I'm blessed enough to still see the massive coconut leaves touch my balcony railing. My daughter has been delightedly calling them 'the dancing leaves'. I wonder if I can really curse this development resulting in deforestation, having been a customer turned resident of my building constructed on the then Coconut Garden!
Yesterday was very noisy and chaotic. The construction plan was to build the lintel across the first floor. In the architectural world, there is something really crucial about the day the lintel is build. Being an outsider, I cannot comment much on the technology involved and the engineering details. However, since my childhood there have been many construction sites that I've come across. The Lintel Day has always been quite significant. I remember how my grandmother worshipped the entire site and all the tools used for construction of lintel for my uncle's house. She religiously monitored the proceedings for that day without budging an inch from her chair. For a septuagenarian, it was incredible. With a lot of conviction she said, "we cannot let anything go wrong while building the lintel."
Last morning, the road was blocked on our way to my daughter's school. Several trucks fully loaded with building material jammed the road just outside our apartment. Commotion kept building throughout the day with an army of labours working hard at the site. There was a churner that occupied the central position and kept churning noisily throughout the day. Around ten labours, both men and women kept filling the churner with sand, water, mud and gravel. This churned material was transferred to a wheel barrow on rails by the help of a pulley. There were two men manually rolling the wheel barrow to the site of the lintel and back for refill. A skilled mason, rarely seen on the construction site was craftily laying down the lintel. The entire team of around fifty labours were yelling, calling, screaming and very noisily working endlessly. I wonder the constant yelling gave them the kick to work assiduously. By evening the sounds kept diminishing gradually. Indeed, the lintel was laid accurately.
Today, when I took my car out of the driveway, the road was clear. The entire construction material was consumed the previous day making the road broader than it has been for months. The churner stood majestically resting in the centre of the site. It was scrubbed spick and span after use to keep it shining until the next 'lintel day'.
Yesterday was very noisy and chaotic. The construction plan was to build the lintel across the first floor. In the architectural world, there is something really crucial about the day the lintel is build. Being an outsider, I cannot comment much on the technology involved and the engineering details. However, since my childhood there have been many construction sites that I've come across. The Lintel Day has always been quite significant. I remember how my grandmother worshipped the entire site and all the tools used for construction of lintel for my uncle's house. She religiously monitored the proceedings for that day without budging an inch from her chair. For a septuagenarian, it was incredible. With a lot of conviction she said, "we cannot let anything go wrong while building the lintel."
Last morning, the road was blocked on our way to my daughter's school. Several trucks fully loaded with building material jammed the road just outside our apartment. Commotion kept building throughout the day with an army of labours working hard at the site. There was a churner that occupied the central position and kept churning noisily throughout the day. Around ten labours, both men and women kept filling the churner with sand, water, mud and gravel. This churned material was transferred to a wheel barrow on rails by the help of a pulley. There were two men manually rolling the wheel barrow to the site of the lintel and back for refill. A skilled mason, rarely seen on the construction site was craftily laying down the lintel. The entire team of around fifty labours were yelling, calling, screaming and very noisily working endlessly. I wonder the constant yelling gave them the kick to work assiduously. By evening the sounds kept diminishing gradually. Indeed, the lintel was laid accurately.
Today, when I took my car out of the driveway, the road was clear. The entire construction material was consumed the previous day making the road broader than it has been for months. The churner stood majestically resting in the centre of the site. It was scrubbed spick and span after use to keep it shining until the next 'lintel day'.
