Devastating Rain

 Got a taste of how it must feel in regular flooded areas. Bihar and Assam in particular, that face the fury of flooded Ganga or Bramhaputra. We just had around 36 hours of rain straight. In Indore. Very unusual, and the aftermath may show for a few more days.

Was reading a book on Basu Chatterjee and his obsession with rain scenes in Mumbai. Particularly, the song 'Rimjhim gire Saawan' from Manzil. Romancing the rain is fine when it falls in manageable quantum, but beyond that, is harmful to human habitation. Uttarakhand and Himachal also had a lot this year, I believe.

Homes get flooded, and streets. Difficult to live normal lives when this goes on. Daily wagers and vendors are badly hit, because no one ventures out.

Hoping we have seen the end of the fury, and normal weather prevails here onward. A thought for all those on whom it has inflicted misery.

Change of Perspective

How quickly perspective changes. Till May this year, Maharashtra was reeling under a drought and praying for rain. Now, many districts of the state are flooded (Nagpur-Wardha railway line was dislocated for a while), and praying for a respite from it. Legislators demanded that a 'wet drought' be declared in some. Not sure what a wet drought is, but I get a sense of what they are saying.

When things are going our way, in love, job, life, whatever, we think the world is a great place to be. The moment adversity gives us a jerk (did not say it tells us we are a jerk, please note), we get all worked up, and curse everything in sight, or out of it.

Funny beings, us humans, don't you think? But then, how else would we be able to increase our vocabulary of curse-words? So there is something in this habit of ours. All for a greater cause. A pity they don't include cuss-words in the GRE or CAT.

Anopheles on Floods, Bombs and Love Stories

Anopheles, my old friend (she is a females mosquito with whom I have intellectual conversations about the world, for those who are new to her) was back, and we started talking about disasters.

I let her know about the deep tragedy caused by floods in three states. And asked for her reaction.

She said, "We'll get some new places to settle in, I hope."

Stunning as it was, it brought home to me the fact that one man's flood could be another man's (OK, mosquito's, in this case) fortune. Shakespeare had also said something linking floods and fortune, I vaguely remembered from my literature class in school.

"Like human beings settle on the banks of rivers, we settle in the remnants of floods" she shrugged. Then she asked me what I do for entertainment these days. I said, "Watch half-witted love stories, Ranjhana being a case in point."

"What's the love-story you mention about?" she wanted to know.

I struggled to explain " Well, it's about a loafer who is in love. The law of Equality, Liberty, Fraternity says that loafers have equal rights to fall in love with anyone they want. And the object of their love has no choice in the matter, if the director so chooses. So she does, but then she plots to get him killed, because he was responsible for getting the guy she really loved, killed. It's an eye for an eye, and that's the end of the loafer who is a lover-boy." I could see a look of disbelief cross her brow, and stay there."

"Let us leave love stories behind, and talk of something else. They are too depressing," I suggested.

Like what?" she asked.
"Bombing of Buddha temples?" I suggested, going from deadly love stories to just deadly live stories.

"Who is Buddha?" she innocently asked.
"He was a great soul who preached non-violence, and the way of enlightenment."
"And this is how you pay him back? By bombing his temple?" she seemed indignant.

I had no sustainable defence. I had to say, I was ashamed there were people who were so lost that they did not know what they were doing any more. Lots of them.