Take a guess where this picture is from. Dubai? Singapore? London?
Nope, this is Colombo, Sri Lanka. A country that was all over the news few years ago owing to its economic crisis that shook the whole country. Or so that was what the media had portrayed to us, however a trip to the place a few weeks ago completely changed my preconceived notions about the country, a notion that believed Sri Lanka was a country riddled with economic troubles, food shortages and a struggling population. Furthermore it was not a notion possessed by me alone but instead a conception that was common amongst the people i was surrounded by, especially after its crisis flooded every news channel possible online and so i set my expectations for the trip accordingly.
A green welcome
From the very second that the plane kissed its tires onto the runway, i entered a whole new world of awe and enthusiasm. The views were riddle with large leaping palm trees and vibrant covers of green that were pleasing to my eyes. Even the airport was a green spot, with greenery around every inch of the area, it was as if we were landing into a forest, and what made it better was the pleasant whether with subtle showers of rain that were almost unnoticeable yet brought a cool breeze to the air.
The airport was relatively small compared to the ones in the major cities of India and within a few minutes we got out and yet again we were welcomed with neatly paved pathways engulfed with trees and shrubs that brought the environment to life. It was a satisfying change compared to the dirty, dusty and dull mess of concrete pillars, arches and roads that would welcome us back in India.
Honestly, i was amazed. I was amazed to see so much order, so much greenery and so much calmness, something i was definitely not expecting since at the time i had a mistaken idea that Sri Lanka was very similar to India and my experience would be much the same. Nevertheless, a part of me thought that this was just a facade to paint us tourists a different idea of the reality in this country, and so i waited to see what the city truly looked like, and oh my, i couldn’t have been more wrong.
As we meandered through the expressways, making our way to the city, the standard of elegance that we saw from the moment we exited the airport was maintained throughout. The roads were absolutely spotless,smooth and perfect and even in the highways they managed to maintain the greenery all around. It was the most picturesque drive that i had experienced on the highway of another country and it felt as though i could look outside for hours on end without getting bored nor exhausted. It reminded me of driving through a European countryside and in fact you could say it was even better than that in some aspects, but you’ll never truly believe me unless you see it with your own eyes.
A city that wasn’t a chaotic mess
After a few hours of that pleasant drive came the city of Colombo. Sri Lanka’s capital city, and all i can saw is, Wow. Is this really the same country that people painted out to have an economic debacle? and throughout my trip that rhetoric ran through my mind as the city proved itself to me with every passing second.
I’d go as far as to say that Colombo was better than every Indian city i have been to. It beats Mumbai, Bangalore,Chennai and Kochi by a mile, and this may not be true in every aspect, but in the aspect of how a city should be built for its citizens i could definitely vouch for Colombo being the best from what I’ve seen.
The Roads were first-class. As a matter of fact, throughout my whole trip in Sri Lanka where i would’ve traveled close to a 1000kms with all sorts of forms of travel from autos to SUV’s and that too not just within Colombo but even in smaller towns such as Galle and Unawatuna, i can boldly say that I did not encounter more than a single pothole. This was in itself Unexpectedly astounding, especially considering the fact that i don’t even have to search past the nearest street to my house to find a road brimming with potholes, and this is the reality of the matter even in a so called tier-1 city in India.
Wait, it gets even better.
Here in India, walking on the Main road even for a few 100 meters is frustratingly fatiguing. I find myself walking upon unraveled cables,non-existent, if not, encroached footpaths, large protruding rocks that try to trip you onto the road and huge out of place concrete pipes, and lets not forget the incoming chaos of autos and bikes squeezing into any tight space and hoarding the little gap of space that we pedestrians get; then comes the stench of open drains lined across all the roads making you feel sick and on top of that you’re attacked by gusts of dust, dirt and sand from who knows where and by the end of it you wonder if this is what one of the most developed cities in India feels like, then are we really getting anywhere?
But Colombo was different.
From the outskirts of the city up till the city center, almost 90% of the roads i saw were neatly planned with an adequate, well maintained pedestrian footpaths making it easy to get from point A to Point B by foot. In fact the walking experience was so pleasing that for any short distance in Colombo, our first choice to get around was by foot. And all though to a lot you, something as small as a proper footpath may seem insignificant, it all adds up. The more you encourage people to go around by walking, you’re eventually reducing the number of vehicles on the road and that in itself is a small relief for the hectic traffic jams that we have back here in every city.
Moreover the city had impeccable drain systems. Unlike back here where after every small shower our streets stay flooded for days; In Colombo even after heavy rains lashed out for hours the roads went back to being dry and spotless. In fact, if i hadn’t seen the rains myself, i wouldn’t have even believed that it rained.
The Aesthetics
Colombo was stunning. The city was clustered with tall glass buildings, leaping office towers and towering apartments, and as the sun set, the city came to life as the soaring structures gleamed with all their lights, brightening the night sky. Among the view of towers, through the gaps i saw a famous monument. The Colombo lotus tower. With a revolving sphere dressed in a costume of vibrant neon lights, the tower was like the disco ball of the party, keeping the city lively and enthusiastic.
As we walked closer to the tower it’s glory intensified. It stood there in its solid stance, cementing its presence over the city. Though it wasn’t the tallest tower i had seen in my life , it was definitely one of the most exuberant.
Surprisingly as the night moved on, the towers too fell asleep. Their lights turned off and the glimmering cluster dimmed down, waiting to beam again as the next sunset came upon them
Interestingly, Across my whole trip in Sri Lanka, i only came across one instance in which there was waste or garbage littered on the ground, and that one spot just so happened to be a famous tourist spot, the Galle light house. Even in the dense city of Colombo, i couldn’t spot a single piece of waste lying on the roads anywhere.
On the other hand, back here all i have to do is look out my window and 9 out of 10 times there’s a pile of rubble or waste just laying around beside the road, and although these small things look and sound superfluous, at the end of the day all of it together build the aesthetic of a city, and if city looks no different than a waste land, it’s not very aesthetic is it?
And this made me realize that it’s not just the governments responsibility towards maintaining a clean environment. It’s a social responsibility for every one of us living in our cities to take care of it the same way we take care of our homes. The more of an effort we take to make our country look clean, the more our country is going to end up looking clean and that the only way we too can get rid of the image we have built of our country when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness.
A city within the city
Inside Colombo we ventured into another part known as “Port City”. The city was extended out of Colombo, built upon layers and layers of sand. As we drove through the entrance, there was a shift in the atmosphere. From the Vibrant, green and colourful views of Colombo city, the atmosphere shifted monotone, sandy and warm mood.
It felt as though we were transported into the middle-east. Along the roads were large vacant areas sectioned off, all of them with a floor of sand and rocks, it reminded me of my trip in the Dunes of Dubai except this time we were driving on a road instead of heaps of fine sand.
The wide roads were accompanied by dedicated pedestrian and cycling infrastructure along the side, and as the road lead further into port city, cheery looking shacks sprung up along the road and on the other side of them was a pleasant view of the sea.
Other than that, the whole city was vast and empty, like a ghost town waiting to be built and from what i noticed, it was a work in progress.
With that my trip to Sri Lanka came to an end and I bid goodbye to a city that shocked me with both its contrasting natures. A concrete jungle that had not forgotten its roots but better yet, embraced them.