An evening in Washington DC..

It was on a cold winter evening in 1764, when Edward Gibbon sitting atop the marshes of Capitoline hill; the citadel of Rome , pondered upon the greatness of Roman civilization - its rise, decline and fall; the faint chorus of evening vespers gently floating into his ears from a distant past - that helped him conceive his magnum -opus of six magnificent volumes on Roman history, "The Decline and fall of the Roman empire". The hill itself was the apex of Roman domination between 278 B.C to 468 A D; its pompous kings ruling a majority of the known world from its ornate palaces and gilded thrones; its laws were commandments; its morals, divine injunctions; its commerce, the bloodline of nations; its arts and culture, the standards against which non-Roman's judged themselves - such was the power, munificence and grandeur of Rome- the Capital, and the significance of Capitoline hill - its apogee.

As I stood before Capitol building in Washington DC, the epicenter of power, it is a sense of awe that overwhelmed me. Chosen by Thomas Jefferson to reassemble the famed power citadel of Rome, the marble house of Congress, stands majestically atop a hill spreading its fluted colonnades , symmetrical walls - that somehow from a distance looks as though its alluring dome majestically kisses the sky, dwarfing and imposing its authority on a divine order. Pictures do not justice to its spell binding presence. The air around it is pregnant with an ominous silence that hangs like a overripe fruit, infused with tremendous authority and aura of impregnability. Surrounding this surreal structure is the Lincoln and War memorials, innumerable museums including the legendary Smithsonian - that repository of world heritage, preserved and nurtured with a care that instills pride in being a part of his great Human drama. Almost every tree, shrub and street reeks of historic aroma, commemorating or edifying a momentous achievement in the nation's history. And of course, the Union Station - the hub of Washington's railway system : modeled on classical Baths of Roman emperor Diocletian, with Constantine arches that canopying its vast, spacious interiors.

Amidst all this profusion of historicity, the Presidential white house lies snugly ensconced in its greenery, offering tantalizing glimpses of its rooms that hosts the most powerful political family and their offices - the epicenter of decision making, whose ripples touch and affect lives across geographical boundaries. For the last two hundred odd years, starting with John Adams - all the presidents of United states have lived and worked out this building. The original architecture was George Washington idea, but over the years, different presidents have added their charm and grace to its evolution. There is a sanctity about it, that is palpable as one gazes at its sparkling white reflection on a fading twilight evening..

There is a sense of pride in people living in DC. Not surprising!!. Its ten square mile radius perhaps hosts the most number of power centers in known civilized world. There is an air of superiority in the way they walk, talk or sit - a formal demeanor that speaks of authority, confidence and knowledge in being part of that elite few whose daily work , ever so imperceptibly , alters the course of global citizenship.