ECHOES OF JAKARTA

FROM ITS HISTORICAL ROOTS TO ITS SKYLINE, THIS SKYSCRAPER-STUDDED CITY CAPTIVATES WITH ITS CONTRASTS

- KARTIKEYA SHANKAR

FROM MY ROOM AT JAKARTA'S Le Meridien hotel, I gazed out onto a city alive with lights. After wrestling with the decision to stay in or step out, curiosity won. And I embarked on a visual escapade.

I ascended an overhead bridge and it dawned on me that much like in India, they serve as the meeting points for lovers—some amidst disagreements and a select few anticipating the inaugural skirmishes within their blooming relationships. On the same bridge, many also sought refuge, their gazes fixed on the abyss of their mobile screens.

After spending less than an hour on the bridge looking at life passing by, it was time to return. And as I turned around, I heard a man singing to his wife in Indonesian as she blushed, her face taking on a rosy hue.

BUSTLING ROADS, BUSY LIVES