Saying a Fond Farewell

The Pearl has fallen and has made many shed a tear for the majestic monument that they took for granted. Many expatriates and citizens alike welcome the decision to rebuild the area, but also look back at the cherished memories and emotions connected with the glorious monument which was the face of Bahrain for almost three decades.

Othman Janahi, a Bahraini national said, “GCC roundabout was in my route to work on an everyday basis. I will never forget the smell of the freshly cut green grass when I pass there and the huge white monument that represents the unity of the Gulf Counties. It was also in my way back home after a long day at work and will never forget the sound of the fountain nor the lights that brightened the pearl on top. That was all before 14 Feb 2011.”

But he further added, “As much as all Bahraini's are connected to the scene of that monument, I am truly thankful for the decision of demolition it, as now it will always remind us not of the beauty it had, rather it will remind us of the dark days that our beloved country has gone through and suffered dearly.”

“In all its grandeur, the Pearl roundabout truly held a big place in the hearts of everyone living in Bahrain., It definitely was the face of cosmopolitan Bahrain, built on strong foundations of its rich traditions and culture. Everyone who loves the beautiful country of Bahrain will miss the Pearl Roundabout dearly, as it goes down into the annals of history and Bahrain marches forward,” said former resident and lndian citizen Devan Surendran.

In the opinion of British national Charles Wilcock, who has been in Bahrain for over 25 years, “It was a symbol of the country. I remember my late father jokingly nicknamed it ‘dog bone’ roundabout. Now the only way we can see it will be on the 500fils coin and on postcards. The roundabout brightened the skyline of Bahrain, long before the new buildings came. The coloured lights on it during the evening took one’s breath away. It will be missed.”

Many students form different schools in Bahrain look back on how every project they did about Bahrain had a picture of the roundabout. Others reminisced how they found locations by following the Pearl in the skyline.

Ehsan Kooheji, said on twitter, “My oldest memory of Manama is around the mid 1980's, with my dad, uncles and their friends playing cards on the grass near Lulu.”

Another interesting memory was of Mrs. Fernandes. “The first time my husband and I took a picture together, it was at the Pearl Roundabout. That is one of the fondest memories of our life together. We will always fondly remember the monument.”

“Every time I would go past the roundabout, I would remember my daughter Priya's words when she was small. She used to say: Pearl Roundabout, there's a ball up there. Our late Amir, Sheikh Isa put it up there". She used to tell her that Sheikh Isa used to play basketball and one day, he threw it really high up and it got stuck there,” said educator Natraj Sarma.

Munira Awadhi tweeted about her joke about the Pearl Roundabout, “Told baby bro that the pearl on the top of Lulu was a dragon egg, he believed that for 2 or 3 years.”

For Bahraini teenager May Faris, the fondest memory of the Pearl is when she used to left a playground nearby during an Eid to run under the sprinklers and then sleeping on the grass, and her parents carrying her home after that. But she id glad it is removed, “Funny that it had no political implications at the time, sleeping there. We need to move on with the future, without the memories of the graffiti and mess made out near that.”

“I remember how as kids, it used to be a mammoth task to cross the roads and get under the Pearl roundabout and all the passers-by totally amused at the weird-pose photo shoots that we used to have there. Negotiating the Pearl was the ultimate task for almost any new driver in Bahrain always. Also, there were a lot of jokes surrounding it like "Hey dude, what if they had constructed this monument upside down with the pearl on the ground??" reminisces Sreejith Sudhakar.

Aamna Mohiuddin, a Pakistani, who lives in Saudi Arabia but comes often to Bahrain for classes, tweeted, “Too bad I never got to see Pearl Roundabout up close, now I never will. But I guess it was the right thing to do.”


Waqas Rasool who is of Pakistani origin had another point of view. “Having seen the Pearl for last 25 years of my life just made it an object passes by as I looked outside my car window. Up until now the construction of the new flyover made me wonder why the Pearl left was untouched. For whatever reason the Pearl was brought down will now leave mixed feelings in the minds and hearts of many. This can also be the dawn to a new rising.”

Ancita Martin, who lived near the Pearl said, “Every tourism brochure of Bahrain always had image of the Pearl Roundabout. BTV never missed an opportunity to show it off. It was a symbol of home to me because I live very close to it. The Pearl at the top, to me, signified Bahrain's riches in the form of resources as well as its people.”

She continued, “Having said that, since the 14th of February, it was the place of terror. Chants and sounds echoing from the Roundabout had scared many for the past one month. The beautiful monument was turned into a dump by surrounding it with garbage and littering it. It was filled with graffiti and that too against the people who built it. The Roundabout had bitter memories for all of us. I am glad that it's removed. Things are not always the same and as for the Roundabout, it's time to move on from it.”

Filipino national, Imelda Cruv stated that this was the way forward. “There were plans before as well to demolish it for infrastructural development. And now it happened. Let’s pray and hope that this would mark a new beginning of unity and development on this country we call home.”

Just minutes after the news of its removal broke out, the social networking world was filled with comments like RIP Lulu Roundabout, and everyone mourned its loss, but with a hope for a greater future.

In her tweet, Nour said, “Let's hope the demise of the Pearl roundabout brings birth to Pearl and pure hearts filled with love and peace.”


[Excerpts published in Daily Tribune, on MArch 20 2011 - http://www.dt.bh/newsdetails.php?key=301110213450&newsid=190311191540]

And The Pearl Has Fallen...

Every individual who has ever lived in Bahrain, even for a few days, looked at Pearl roundabout with a sense of pride. The monument, majestic with the six sails, representing the countries of the GCC lifting up the Pearl of Bahrain, was close to every resident’s heart. Now as it is demolished to pave way for infrastructural development, current and former residents, Bahrainis and expats, of all ages and nationalities come together to say a fond farewell.

Personally, I don’t have many memories of anything specifically related to the Pearl except maybe how my siblings and I walked from Dana Mall to the Pearl and then from there to City Centre, cuz it was impossible to cross the highway to get to the other side.

And the ever continuing jokes of our childhood days, of how the ball (Pearl) reached the top, which inevitably was “Mr. X, whoever was popular with us at the moment, kicked the ball hard and it landed on top, cuz they had Y drink [usually a particular brand of chocolate milk] and is the strongest.”

Ofcourse, how can I forget, the complete nightmare of driving across the roundabout. During my driving lessons, my instructor decided to take me there during my 3rd or 4th day of class. I broke out into a sweat and my heart raced. But I did get across. But each time I had to drive by that, even after getting my license and under the supervision of my dad, crossing that roundabout was always a challenge. I remember the sheer excitement of victory and jubilance I felt the one single time I got across without supervision. But alas, I never realized that would be the first and last time.

Every project we did about Bahrain had to have the picture of the Pearl in it, every drawing competition with the topic of anything remotely related to it, had to have the Pearl in it. Like my friend told me, it was the face of cosmopolitan Bahrain, built on the string foundations of Bahrain’s rich traditions and culture.

And all of us have enjoyed the beauty of the majestic Pearl and have even taken it for granted. Now, even though we wouldn’t have ever considered it even in our wildest dreams, it is gone. Now the only tangible object we have with the Pearl is the 500 coins which have been discontinues [some last year I think].

It feels like a part of Bahrain is cut off, and it hurts as well ‘cuz Bahrain is our home. I remember that during the five years I was in India for my higher studies, when I used to be back in Bahrain for my holidays, driving by the Pearl gave a sense of belonging, of having arrived home; possibly because I, like many of my friends, grew up seeing it.

For many people here, there are bits and pieces of their life and childhood attached to it. One lady told me how she and her then future husband had taken their first picture together at the Pearl. Another spoke of how they had run through it when the fountain was on. Everyone seemed to have some cherished memory connected to it.

It I’m not wrong, it was constructed in 1982, so when my dad came to Bahrain they had just started constructing it. Back then, when Bahrain did not have its share of fancy buildings and landmarks, the Pearl lit up the Bahrain skyline.

Even recently, during Eid, National Day and other such occasions, the spectacular Pearl in all its glory and splendor, with the multi coloured lights on it and the fountains underneath it, always managed to take my breath away.

As much as my heart bleeds for it, I must say that at some level, I think it’s better gone. I don’t think the attempts at revolution or the protests will come to an end because the monument is not there. But at least the sight of it on an everyday basis will not hinder the process of healing. The wound will deepen every time one passes by it. It was a sign of Bahrain for the longest time, but after the protests, it has become a symbol of Bahrain’s darkest time and that will not help the cause of moving forward, of unity and development. So I guess the demolition of the Pearl is for infrastructural development [which is the official reason], at more levels than what meets the eye.

Our generation will always always remember the legacy of the Pearl. For us, it represented the Bahrain of our childhood, of happiness, joy and multicultural unity. Let’s hope that someday we can make those have not seen it understand what it meant to us and to the country we call home.

Goodbye Pearl Roundabout. You will be cherished and missed, but I pray that with your demolition, Bahrain can see a new dawn of unity and development.