BUILDING AND REBUILDING

 

 

 

Building and rebuilding are continuous activities we carry out all the time. Whatever we build is not permanent. Some day we have to rebuild it. Rebuilding is a necessity. Thousand-year old buildings are there even now in the world. They were renovated and managed. Preservation of old statues and palaces need a good amount of repairs and renovation. Rebuilding is one of the activities we undertake in all spheres. In fact, all destruction leads to construction.

I still remember that phrase ‘construction for destruction’ since my graduate days during the 1960s at Coimbatore when I was a student in the Madras Agricultural College. At that time Mr. G. D. Naidu was a popular figure at Coimbatore. He was a genius who created many interesting things including the shaving blades. Once he visited our College as a Chief Guest for the Hostel Day Celebrations. After a delicious dinner he gave an innovative speech about his life and activities. He invited us to visit his foundation to see his creations. Some of us visited his Foundation at Peelamedu and found a broken car kept as a museum piece with a board ‘Construction for Destruction’. It gave us an important moral that all constructions are for destruction.

Natural disasters are very common nowadays. They cause destruction. Whatever we constructed is destroyed. Earthquakes occur at certain places. Some are very mild. But some of very severe and cause huge destruction. If they occur in urban areas huge buildings where people live and work, power installations, schools and colleges, hospitals, monuments, churches and temples are destroyed along with thousands of human beings. Recent earthquakes in Turkey – Syrian border have killed more than 50,000 people and many more injured and hospitalized. Their houses were destroyed. With the help of people the governments try to remove the debris and reconstruct the destroyed buildings. Such earthquakes are very common in Japan, North India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines and Chile.

Forest fires are another natural calamity that causes destruction of forests. That means trees and many other plants along with wild animals that live there.Such fires are very common in California (USA), Australia, Spain and Greece. The rebuilding here is done by Nature itself. Reforesting is done by Nature itself. Similarly flooding caused by heavy rain, storms and hurricanes occur in many parts of the world. The damage is well noted in urban areas. Flood water stagnates in roads and flow to low lying areas. Sometimes houses and shops are flooded. Electric poles along with big trees are uprooted causing sufferance to people. Anyway rebuilding takes place after the floods.

Man-made-disasters also happen in various parts of the world. War is one of the most important disasters. After facing the two World Wars, people and countries were cautious enough to live peacefully without wars. In spite of that, we have seen a war in Ukraine initiated by Russia on 24 Feb 2022. It is still continuing. No end is seen. Efforts to stop it did not work. Even the UNO tried. No success. Similarly Pope of Vatican tried his best. No use. Billions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition were used to destroy cities in Ukraine. Innumerable Ukrainian and Russian soldiers and innocent people of Ukraine were killed. Destruction to the core! Ukraine has to rebuild its cities, homes, schools, hospitals and churches for its people. Similarly Russia has to build back their army and war equipment. In additions to big fights like wars, small fights between small nations like Afghanistan, Israel, Pakistan, Palestine, and Iraq are going on each and every day. Along with the killings of human beings mosques, churches, gurudwaras and temples are destroyed. Continuous rebuilding is taking place without stop.

One important question comes to our mind is why all these destructions occur? People say prevention is better than cure. Are there not some preventive measures for stopping the natural and man-made disasters? Everyone in this world wants to be in their comfort zones. But rebuilding is a necessary evil. We need to renovate the old and introduce the new and modern culture. Thus all religious buildings are renewed in every country. Rebuilding is an art and it is done with new technology. Therefore, whatever we construct today will be destroyed tomorrow either by natural forces or man himself. Our new world is going to be modern and more convenient for humans to live happily. Let the activity of rebuilding continue. - NARA