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Bridge TALES
Inspecting the damaged bridge.
A FEW years ago, when heritage was not bandied around or interest in local history was confined to a small group of people, Prof. A.V. Polson of Ernakulam was an avid collector of historical information and trivia. A well-known name in academic circles, Prof. Polson was very interested in the history of the Cochin Port and its evolution. His favourite topic at seminars was often connected to port related issues and he also had a way of steering all conversation towards this topic. His talk provided a fund of information on little incidents and noted below are two stories he told about Sir Robert Bristow and the Venduruthy Bridge.
At a time when this bridge is a topic of debate amongst the general public, it might be interesting to recall some of the tales on the bridge, which Prof. Polson often narrated.
Prof. Polson talked about how Mr. Bristow and his wife stood under the bridge to see the first train pass over the newly laid tracks. It must have been a wonderful occasion for him to see the development of the Willingdon Island, which he understood needed a rail connection to make goods traffic from and to the port from the mainland more accessible and cost effective. Prof. Polson also mentioned that the first car to pass the bridge was a Ford 16 belonging to Mr. M. S. Menon. It was in his car that Mr. Bristow and his wife, along with Mr. Menon, were driven across the bridge. It is said that Mr. Bristow asked Narayanan, the driver, to stop the car when they reached the middle of the bridge and gave him a warm handshake. It was, he said, one worker recognising the labour of another. Mr. Bristow is also said to have believed that the bridge would have a glorious future.
Prof. Polson's conversation could be peppered with personal anecdotes and researched information so it is difficult to state the origin of these stories, but they do underline the importance Mr. Bristow attached to the bridge He was farsighted in visualising the importance of the Venduruthy Bridge. His plan for the port was one that had to be implemented over the course of time and it might be worth examining and remembering this plan in the context of the present debate on this bridge.
PRATIMA ASHER
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