What next?

"Rain rain go away
Come again another day
Little Johnny wants to play
Rain rain go to Spain!"

But alas...! Rain wanted to come today, yesterday, the day before yesterday and, in all probability, wants to be here for what seems forever... :-(

Whew..! Been a crazy week. Started with a 9-10 km trek last Tuesday wading through knee deep water to accomplish the journey from workplace to home. And a 4 hour ordeal to complete it. Bearing through bad traffic jams, torrential downpour and floods with strong undercurrent.

Though it was raining badly the whole day, I did not anticipate anything different from the regular standstill that Mumbai goes through every monsoons, when local trains stop in the middle of the tracks, when people are stranded in the middle of nowhere, when schools and colleges shut down, when rains continue relentlessly for a day or two throwing life out of gear. Small time floods do happen during those days but in select low-lying areas of the city. It did not occur to me even when S called at about 4PM asking me to leave for home ASAP and that he was already on his way home since the 'situation was not too good'. It did not occur to me even when I saw some of my colleagues leaving work as early as 4-5 in the evening. Of course, it was with a reason that I was neck deep (not in water) into some important work with stringent deadlines and had to finish as much of it before calling it a day.

But going with the inertia, I left work at 8. And little did I know then that I would get home only well past midnight. I had no choice but to start walking towards home and hope the traffic jam cleared up as I walked ahead a bit. After a 4 km trek, the road did clear up and that was because there was water enough to drown the cars and auto rickshaws. Water was almost until my waist and pitch darkness and gutters/manholes made it even scarier to cruise past the distance. I kept to the beaten track at most places except one section of the route where water was deep and there was no soul ready to wade through. I was greeted by downpour getting heavier by the minute and what seemed like dead rats floating in the current. Ewww..!!! Decided to take the route nonetheless and stayed in the middle of the road which was actually a national highway. Thankfully some people took to the same route seeing me brave through alone. Then I was not as scared. Was actually a little pleased with myself for setting an example of sorts... :-)

Anyway, trying hard to ignore the floating objects which got entangled with my legs making me jump with fright and trying to steady myself through the strong water currents, I managed to get home at about 1AM. Was never more pleased and relieved in life to see the gate of the apartment building.

Life has been unsettled ever since with continued spell of showers of canine and feline magnitude. With no telephone - landline and other varieties, transportation, electricity (for a brief while thankfully!) and loads of work through weekend, I wait wistfully for sun to peep out of the clouds for a few minutes.

People say I went to Andaman and caused Tsunami, went to Gujarat last month and floods followed and now Mumbai. "What next??" they ask... :-)