Part 3 of my US trip travelogue
US - A nation of Museums, Archives and Memorials
What do great cities offer?
Some offer Glitz- think Dubai, some glamour – think New
York, some exude power – think New Delhi, some syncretism – think Hyderabad,
London, Mumbai – where people of different religions, cultures mingle seamlessly.
Then there are cities that offer a combination of power,
elegance, scale and a chance of peeping
into its heart.
Washington DC is one such city.
From a 30,000 feet level view, you see magnificent pathways,
the Washington monument, the Capitol, the White House and the “wildest “river
in the world, Potomac. A Capital that would have done the Romans or the Mughals
proud.
Descend to the ground and you see enormous buildings, wide
boulevards, and people looking officious and powerful. If you whizz around the
city at 60 MPH, you might go back unimpressed, believing you could spent your
time better elsewhere.
And, therein lies the magic.
Washington is NOT a city to be enjoyed from a distance. It
is a city to be embraced. It is NOT a city that is a fast food. It is a nine
course meal where each entrée tastes different, is to be relished on its own
merit.
The entrées that I chose to enchant myself with were the
museums, libraries, archives and memorials.
Museums? Are they not the places where you see Dinosaurs?
Are they not the places where you go if you just want to kill time?
Across the world, possibly yes. In Washington, definitely no.
The Smithsonian institution, established in 1846 “for the
increase and diffusion of knowledge” is the world’s largest museum, education
and research complex.
Of the 17 museums under its ambit, I and a class mate of
mine (who again was gracious enough to be my guide) chose the National Museum
of American History.
The first thing that strikes you about the museum is its
impeccable maintenance. .
Every section, every artefact throws light on an important
step in mankind’s journey.
The first models/samples of the American paper currency
(1690), the uniform worn by George Washington (1776), typewriter (1873), Sewing
Machine (1889), stock ticker used in Stock Exchanges (1900), the penicillin
mould (1928), the Ford sedan wheel (1927), the wagon used as an ambulance, the
experimental ruby laser (1963- when invented is was seen as a solution looking
for a problem!!!) Mohammed Ali’s gloves (1976), gave us glimpse of how money, medicine,
technology, transportation, sports progressed over the last two hundred years.
Seeing how Thomas Alva Edison in his quest to get the best
filament for a lamp sent people as far as Japan and planted Bamboo plantations
to extract the carbon fibre, gave an understanding of his famous aphorism “
genius is 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration”.
The museum was not about materialism alone.
America’s struggles with empowering its women, integrating
the Africans into the mainstream, difficulties involved in the embracing of its immigrants were poignant
reminders of the millions of journeys that went into the making of the US that
we see today.
Exhausted, hungry, but content we left the museum to explore
other hearts of the city.
The library of Congress is the LARGEST library in the world.
Housing more than 164 million units, of which 38.6 millon
are catalogued books, 70 million manuscripts, this sure is treasure house.
A must see is the Thomas Jefferson library, housing the
29000 books that he had collected in 50 years of his public life , which he
graciously gifted to the library.
Apart from books (which can only be accessed / seen if you
have an appointment or are a member) it houses some sections on the Inca Empire
and the World War 1.
One of the mysteries of the modern world has been the complete
obliteration of the Inca empire, which, at its peak, in 1491 was the largest
empire the world had ever seen. Larger than the Ming Dynasty or the Ottoman
Empire, its alpha and omega have puzzled many a historian.
You see the American side of the World war history through
its archives and the many newspaper clippings. By exhorting Women to join the
War efforts, in one bold stroke, America helped in the assimilation and empowerment
of women.
I was delighted seeing the first ever book printed using
modern technology, the Gutenberg bible. What a sight!
The next stop was the National Archives.
It holds possibly the most precious symbol of America. A
symbol that has defined America. The Original Copies of its declaration of
independence and its constitution. Kept in a very secure environment (low
temperature, low lighting), it is a must see for history buffs and for those
who want to understand the word treasured.
How many Indians would have seen the original copy of their
own constitution?
The day was coming to a close and running out of light.
We dashed across the Capitol, White House ( each trespasser
has pushed the barricades farther and farther away from the white house, what
you get to see now is a 1000 metre view), Washington monument, World War 2 memorial, the reflecting pool (Martin
Luther King gave his “ I have a dream speech” here) on our way to the last
stop.
The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to the finest statesman
the nation produced, Abraham Lincoln. His huge statue which many aliens and villains
have destroyed in movies is imposing yet graceful.
It is believed that sitting exactly opposite the Capitol, he
continues to guide the US in the right direction.
As I reflected on the day, what struck me was the honesty
with which the nation looked at its past, its successes and its failures.
Difficult to imagine India being able to objectively assess the
anti-Sikh riots of 1984, the emergency or the public sector policy. Impossible
to imagine China shedding tears over Tiananmen or Russia accepting that its Stalinist
purges were unjustified.
A country that can dispassionately look at its history, sift
through what is right and wrong will always course correct towards the morally
right.
For a visitor like me, America showed that courage.
It is the institutions, the museums, the archives and the
memorials that will continue to drive generations of Americans in the right
direction.
I was privileged to see some of these beacon lights from
close and get awed by America again.
