MUMBAI RAINS
I took the day off from work yesterday. In the morning, I completed the work for which I had applied leave. In the afternoon, I switched on the TV and felt a blast from the past as I saw the news channel : there were heavy rains in Mumbai. I have fond memories of the monsoon deluges in Mumbai !
My school is in a low lying area and when the rain came down heavily, I would leave home for school with a hope in my heart that school would be closed ! During school, I had such holidays in school perhaps only twice, but the memory of those days lingers and form an indelible part of my "happy memories of school". A close friend and I used to walk, wearing raincoats and gum boots to school. We used to walk up a bridge, then descend from it - and there was our school. If the rains were heavy, the water used to come up to the knee level and walking (or wading !) in it would become an exciting experience for us ! To reach school and then learn of the holiday triggered a joy that I would still say was unparalleled !
On the couple of days when we did get unexpected holidays, the walk back home became one of joy and fun ! The neatness of the uniforms and the length of the journey amounted to nothing as we walked back. Along the roads, there would be streams of water, full of mud, with the colour of tea flowing into the manhole. Now, it seems that those currents mirrored our pleasure and joy.
Yesterday's rain was not like that though. Click on http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/jul/27rain1.htm to read more about the monsoon. Many years have passed since I walked to school and when I saw people wading through waist high water on television, I felt pity. There was no telling where the next open manhole was for those poor people. In our school days, that didn't play too important a role in our heads, but now there was one overwhelming thought in my head : "I hope there isn't an open manhole in the steps of these people" ! The rain has upset Mumbai and the "let's get on with it" attitude of Mumbai-kars. In fact, such rains are the only thing that COULD upset the city, I feel ! Whether it was the bomb blasts in 1993 or other communal disturbances, the city has got back to normalcy in a matter of a day or two.
On the other hand, these rains have paralysed the very nerves of the city : its local trains. The television showed water in the tracks of the Mumbai railway stations. The main expressways in the city were also blocked with traffic, as vehicles broke down due to the monsoon waters. Incredibly, the power system also took a beating. I don't recall the power ever going due to heavy rains when I was in school. The telephone networks were also affected, both fixed and mobile.
The news channel that I had tuned to had a ticker for concerned people to get their messages across to their loved ones cut off due to the rain and the paralysed city. The messages told a story in themselves : "1000 of us in Poddar College", "Suneeta (or any other name), where are you", "Majid, call Imtiaz on <some number>" .... such one line messages managed to convey despair, worry, anxiety and - sometimes ! - even hope and reassurance.
As the news reporter spoke of traffic being jammed from Prabhadevi to Mahim, I recalled roads and areas half forgotten came back into the forefront of my memories ! Worli Sea Face .... Colaba and South Mumbai with its sophisticated ambiance ..... Dadar and Tulsi Pipe Road more intimately known to me .... as those places were mentioned, buried memories associated with the places came back to me. I know how Dadar would be when there are heavy rains ! I know just how it is to wade through water like the reporter was describing !
The news reporter said that it was the ordinary people in Vile Parle who gave biscuits and tea to the people caught in the traffic jams for 18 hours or so. That, I guess, is what the city is all about. Already, things are getting back to normal. Tomorrow, once normalcy returns, the plight of the man next to him (or her !) would be farthest for the Mumbaikar. However, yesterday when the man (or woman) needed support, the Mumbaikar had lent it. In doing that, he (or she !) has shown what the spirit of the city is all about ! The rains in Mumbai are not all bad, after all ! They bring out the life and soul and spirit of the city.
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NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
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===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED
AS THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR OWNERS.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
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I took the day off from work yesterday. In the morning, I completed the work for which I had applied leave. In the afternoon, I switched on the TV and felt a blast from the past as I saw the news channel : there were heavy rains in Mumbai. I have fond memories of the monsoon deluges in Mumbai !
My school is in a low lying area and when the rain came down heavily, I would leave home for school with a hope in my heart that school would be closed ! During school, I had such holidays in school perhaps only twice, but the memory of those days lingers and form an indelible part of my "happy memories of school". A close friend and I used to walk, wearing raincoats and gum boots to school. We used to walk up a bridge, then descend from it - and there was our school. If the rains were heavy, the water used to come up to the knee level and walking (or wading !) in it would become an exciting experience for us ! To reach school and then learn of the holiday triggered a joy that I would still say was unparalleled !
On the couple of days when we did get unexpected holidays, the walk back home became one of joy and fun ! The neatness of the uniforms and the length of the journey amounted to nothing as we walked back. Along the roads, there would be streams of water, full of mud, with the colour of tea flowing into the manhole. Now, it seems that those currents mirrored our pleasure and joy.
Yesterday's rain was not like that though. Click on http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/jul/27rain1.htm to read more about the monsoon. Many years have passed since I walked to school and when I saw people wading through waist high water on television, I felt pity. There was no telling where the next open manhole was for those poor people. In our school days, that didn't play too important a role in our heads, but now there was one overwhelming thought in my head : "I hope there isn't an open manhole in the steps of these people" ! The rain has upset Mumbai and the "let's get on with it" attitude of Mumbai-kars. In fact, such rains are the only thing that COULD upset the city, I feel ! Whether it was the bomb blasts in 1993 or other communal disturbances, the city has got back to normalcy in a matter of a day or two.
On the other hand, these rains have paralysed the very nerves of the city : its local trains. The television showed water in the tracks of the Mumbai railway stations. The main expressways in the city were also blocked with traffic, as vehicles broke down due to the monsoon waters. Incredibly, the power system also took a beating. I don't recall the power ever going due to heavy rains when I was in school. The telephone networks were also affected, both fixed and mobile.
The news channel that I had tuned to had a ticker for concerned people to get their messages across to their loved ones cut off due to the rain and the paralysed city. The messages told a story in themselves : "1000 of us in Poddar College", "Suneeta (or any other name), where are you", "Majid, call Imtiaz on <some number>" .... such one line messages managed to convey despair, worry, anxiety and - sometimes ! - even hope and reassurance.
As the news reporter spoke of traffic being jammed from Prabhadevi to Mahim, I recalled roads and areas half forgotten came back into the forefront of my memories ! Worli Sea Face .... Colaba and South Mumbai with its sophisticated ambiance ..... Dadar and Tulsi Pipe Road more intimately known to me .... as those places were mentioned, buried memories associated with the places came back to me. I know how Dadar would be when there are heavy rains ! I know just how it is to wade through water like the reporter was describing !
The news reporter said that it was the ordinary people in Vile Parle who gave biscuits and tea to the people caught in the traffic jams for 18 hours or so. That, I guess, is what the city is all about. Already, things are getting back to normal. Tomorrow, once normalcy returns, the plight of the man next to him (or her !) would be farthest for the Mumbaikar. However, yesterday when the man (or woman) needed support, the Mumbaikar had lent it. In doing that, he (or she !) has shown what the spirit of the city is all about ! The rains in Mumbai are not all bad, after all ! They bring out the life and soul and spirit of the city.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED
AS THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR OWNERS.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
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