BUILDING A BRIDGE
The suspension bridge at Punalur town across
the river Kallada in Kerala, South India was built in 1877. It still remains as an architectural marvel. It was built by
the British engineer, Mr. Albert Henry.
The construction took six years for its completion. It has a deck with three
suspended spans. When it was opened for vehicular traffic, people were afraid
to use it. They hesitated even to walk over it as its appearance was unusual.
But the engineer was quite
confident about the strength and stability of the structure. Hence he made a
remarkable demonstration to alleviate the apprehensions of the public. He
boarded a country boat with the members of his family and stayed just below the
bridge and arranged to parade six large elephants over the bridge. The people
watched this show of confidence with enormous enthusiasm and intense interest.
They applauded the engineer's faith in the design and construction of the
bridge. They were now ready to travel along the bridge without any fear. It was
successfully used for vehicular traffic for several decades. Recently a
concrete bridge was constructed parallel to the suspension bridge and the original
bridge is now preserved and protected as an archaeological monument, as a marvellous
masterpiece of the great engineer, Mr.
Albert Henry.
He had full faith in the perfection of the design and construction of
the structure. This deep faith enabled him to stay below it with complete
confidence while six elephants marched over it.
God expects us to possess strong faith in His power and providence. His
concern for man is infinite. He is our loving and living Lord.
God reminds us, "Do not be afraid- I am with you! I am your God - let
nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you
and save you" {Isaiah 41: 10}.
"The Lord Himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail
you or abandon you; so do not lose courage or be afraid" {Deuteronomy 31: 8}.
The psalmist declares with unfailing faith, "I wait patiently for
God to save me; I depend on Him alone. He alone protects and saves me; He is my
defender, and I shall never be defeated" {Psalms 62: 1-2}.
...................................................................................................................................
© By:
Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science &
Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof.
Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's
College, Kanjirappally and Leo. S.
John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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