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<!doctype html><html lang="en"><head><title data-rh="true">The Beautiful Ruins Tell the Story of a Forgotten Past | by Purbita Chakraborty | In Living Color | Oct, 2024 | Medium</title><meta data-rh="true" charset="utf-8"/><meta data-rh="true" name="viewport" content="width=device-width,minimum-scale=1,initial-scale=1,maximum-scale=1"/><meta data-rh="true" name="theme-color" content="#000000"/><meta data-rh="true" name="twitter:app:name:iphone" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" name="twitter:app:id:iphone" content="828256236"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:ios:app_name" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:ios:app_store_id" content="828256236"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:android:package" content="com.medium.reader"/><meta data-rh="true" property="fb:app_id" content="542599432471018"/><meta data-rh="true" property="og:site_name" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" property="og:type" content="article"/><meta data-rh="true" property="article:published_time" content="2024-10-30T14:28:16.549Z"/><meta data-rh="true" name="title" content="The Beautiful Ruins Tell the Story of a Forgotten Past | by Purbita Chakraborty | In Living Color | Oct, 2024 | Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" property="og:title" content="The Beautiful Ruins Tell the Story of a Forgotten Past"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:android:url" content="medium://p/4439ef60bda1"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:ios:url" content="medium://p/4439ef60bda1"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:android:app_name" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" name="description" content="I never cared much about ruins. 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du">The past shapes the present and the present holds hope for a better future</h2><div><div class="speechify-ignore ab cp"><div class="speechify-ignore bh l"><div class="iv iw ix iy iz ab"><div><div class="ab ja"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><a rel="noopener follow" href="/@purbita.chakraborty?source=post_page---byline--4439ef60bda1--------------------------------"><div class="l jb jc by jd je"><div class="l fj"><img alt="Purbita Chakraborty" class="l fd by dd de cx" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:88:88/1*uuxX9hDDlvBffs0jeMhhEA.jpeg" width="44" height="44" loading="lazy" data-testid="authorPhoto"/><div class="jf by l dd de fs n jg ft"></div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="jh ab fj"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><a href="https://medium.com/in-living-color?source=post_page---byline--4439ef60bda1--------------------------------" rel="noopener follow"><div class="l ji jj by jd jk"><div class="l fj"><img alt="In Living Color" class="l fd by br jl 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https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:4800/1*aRhe3A1bxOEDwBMkoOrY8Q.jpeg 4800w" sizes="(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 100vw"/><img alt="The city of Rome, a street, some ruins, old buildings, and green leafy trees." class="bh nd oc c" width="2400" height="1292" loading="eager"/></picture><figcaption class="od ff oe of og oh oi bf b bg z du">The view of the Colosseum and Roman Forum from Piaza Venezia. | All images by the author</figcaption></figure></div><div class="ab cb"><div class="ci bh fz ga gb gc"><p id="2962" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oj ok hd ol b ig om on oo ij op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz pa pb pc pd pe gw bk">I never cared much about ruins. But standing in the heart of Rome, amidst the beautiful buildings, statues, monuments, and ancient ruins all around me, that are standing up thousands of years, I got goosebumps.</p><p id="cdd8" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oj ok hd ol b ig om on oo ij op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz pa pb pc pd pe gw bk">The city was alive centuries ago, and it still is. Isn’t that a miracle? People had once lived, loved, laughed, cried, celebrated, given birth, built a home with their loved ones, and died where I am standing now.</p><p id="43b2" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oj ok hd ol b ig om on oo ij op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz pa pb pc pd pe gw bk">I tried to imagine people’s lives back then. What did a regular day look like? What did they do for a living? How did they celebrate their special events in life such as marriage or birth? How did they raise their kids? What was it like to be a woman?</p><p id="b5cf" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oj ok hd ol b ig om on oo ij op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz pa pb pc pd pe gw bk">The ruins told me stories — the stories of people who came before us, their laughter and cries, woes and worries, agonies and pleasures, sins and sorrows, sacrifices and happiness, life and death. They echoed the ceaseless cacophonies of a time long gone.</p><p id="658e" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oj ok hd ol b ig om on oo ij op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz pa pb pc pd pe gw bk">I stood in awe.</p></div></div></div></div></section></div></div></article></div><div class="l"></div><footer class="pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm gv ab q pn jk c"><div class="l ae"><div class="ab cb"><div class="ci bh fz ga gb gc"><div class="ab cp po"><div class="ab q lu"><div class="pp l"><span class="l pq pr ps e d"><div class="ab q lu lv"><div class="pw-multi-vote-icon fj gt lw lx ly"><span><a class="af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at" data-testid="footerClapButton" rel="noopener follow" 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