Floods — around, within
Monsoon in Mumbai is a different experience. I have always enjoyed the torrential rains the metropolis gets, year after year. Occasionally it throws the city out of gear.
On 26th July 2005, I had an appointment with one of the key accounts, at Cuffe Parade. I took a train from BKC to Nariman Point and took the cab to the World Trade Center. It appeared yet another rainy day.
As the meeting progressed, the rains increased too. It came to the point, the friends at the meeting asked me to leave immediately, and get back home. We lived at Kandivli (E), at the other end of the city. I took a cab, back to the office. As I left, I saw there were some frantic calls from colleagues. They knew I was at the other end of the mega-city. Most of them had left for home. The gravity of the situation sank in, as the taxi driver updated what was happening in the city.
There was massive traffic on the road, all trying to escape the fury of monsoon, but caught in the traffic. Some colleagues were stuck on Western Expressway, with roads flooded. Some on Goregaon flyover, witness to nature fury, with water coming from the hills behind. They stayed on there throughout the night.
My driver was not only brave and smart. By the time we reached Tardeo, it was obvious, it would be suicidal to go ahead. I let the cabbie go, and as he dropped me in one of the narrow lanes of Tardeo. I saw the board of a lodge, walked up to check room availability. He said I will have to ‘share’ the room with another Gujarathi gentleman. He chose to stay there, instead of going to Borivili.
As I settled down, fully wet, no clothes to change, dirty towels, dirty room.. the channels gave updates on the floods. A night to remember…
It was flooded around, floods within.
As the river surrenders itself to the ocean, what is inside me moves inside you — Kabir
Late morning, the next day, I finally took a cab home. I was grateful I chose to stay in a lodge, something had shifted within.
