April 7, 2019
"Imagine going somewhere very dark with only a flashlight to guide you."
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It is dark, and damp and muddy. We are in a tunnel, not yet completed, that is below the river where the dam is being constructed. The tunnel is a diversion tunnel and is a one in a lifetime opportunity to 'feel' how it is.
There are stairs, that lead from one level to another with tube lights placed at regular intervals but still, it is preferable that one of us holds a flashlight. Not that it gives much light but it is a feeling of being in control as we walk through the tunnel, beneath a river, which even if it does not flow, the knowledge changes your perception. You try to step carefully in the beginning, but give it up, who cares if you get mud on your clothes or shoes, it is not everyday that you get to walk in a tunnel.
After some time, you do not talk, no words are needed, as we step in a rhythm, the pale lights throwing strange shadows on the damp wall.
And when you step out, you feel relieved at light and exhilarated too, you have crossed a river, beneath the river bed.
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