#MumbaiRains and Me- Part-2

Picture taken at Marol Naka, Andheri (E), Mumbai on 19.6.15

Just few days ago, I have written about Mumbai Rains (Read), in continuation to that, I am writing this post to share my experience of the Mumbai Rains in this season till date. Like, I have shared that Rains in Mumbai are welcomed even though they put a brake on the speed of the city. We are having rains for past several days.

Yesterday, it rained heavily and the lifeline of Mumbai, the local trains were cancelled, schools were shut down, and roadways were severely affected. People were struggling to juggle between their home and office.  Mumbai never stops! Heavy Downpour can affect but not stop the Mumbaikars. Had it been any other city, the situation would have looked a lot like a curfew. But by god’s grace and the hard work of the civic body, BMC the worst was averted. BMC has used around 130-140 dewatering pumps to clear the stagnant water and by today there is literally no water logging, so Hats off to them.

The pictures of the water logged areas of Mumbai are doing the round on the social networking sites and news channels. After watching the news, my well wishers contacted me to know about my well being. It feels good when you know people care for you.

BMC has advised people not to go out unless it is an emergency. I don’t know whether going to office is an emergency or not. And, so I am in my office today. I don’t know why but this city touches my heart in the most unusual way. The city has often been affected by natural or manmade calamities but the people overcome it in the most admiring way.  In Mumbai, if people can’t run then they will walk and if they can do so then they will crawl but will always move forward.

My client’s office, which a stone throw away, is closed for last two days as they have planned a visit to Lonavala. We are mesmerized with the timing of their trip as when we could achieve very little in our office for these two days due to the ripple effect of the rains. They are enjoying the rains in style.  Many people who planned to meet me over these days have called to extend our meeting which has left me with enormous time to re-plan my work schedule.

I believe that the rains we have seen till date in this season is just like the tip of an iceberg. There is more to come. The advice to fellow Mumbaikars will be to always keep a stock of food for 3-4 days at home and carry some food items in your office bags as you may get struck when you least expect something like this happen to you.

Yesterday, my office decided to foreclose our business by four in the evening to prevent an unpleasant situation. So, more rains means less work and more fun if you enjoy it. It reminds me of my school days, when rains means absence from school.

People are gathering at places like bandstand, Marine Drive, Juhu Beach, Chowpaty beach, Alibaug, Matheran and many more places to enjoy rains although BMC has warned people to avoid going near sea as during high tide it may prove fatal.

I feel that my love for Mumbai is going to get deepened with this years’ monsoon. I just want to soak in what this city has to offer. Love you Mumbai. Many more posts on rain to follow.

By- Rohan Sinha

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#MumbaiRains and Me

So, rains have already arrived in Mumbai. I was caught off guard without an umbrella yesterday while on my way to office.  One of my colleagues offered me his umbrella which we both shared. Then another gentleman whom we know also came without an umbrella. How could we have not offered him the umbrella? Thus, he was also invited to come and share the umbrella with us. It was raining heavily and except our head, everything was drenched. Anyways, this shows that we Indian are very friendly and are large hearted.

Enough of self appreciation! Actually this post is about the Mumbai Rains. This is my 5^th Monsoon in Mumbai. When I was a kid, I loved monsoon because it made me skip school, my tutor would not come, I used to make paper boat and sail them in the waterlogged lane and then I would challenge my siblings in the boat race. These are simple things which made us happy. Like Little Johnny, we also didn’t wanted rain at our playtime which used to be generally from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.

But rains were welcomed with open arms at certain time like in the morning to convince my parents that other kids would also not come to school. Or prior to the time slot my tutor would come. He was a good man, but he used to punish us for our mistakes. So, I never wanted to get tutored by him. There is one interesting thing which I remembered about him. If he ever scolds me then I wished my brother to receive the same treatment. It was so because then no one will inform our parent about the other getting scolding for not doing homework. So much has changed over all these years, then we got so many homework from school & my tutor. But now, no one is giving homework to me. I really miss them as they were the only devil from my childhood. 

I am deviating from the topic, it is so because off-late I have been averse to rains and anything related to rains. Probably, the child within me has grown up. He has been more logical and rational at the cost of his carefree attitude. Things have changed for me, it changes for everyone. With time our priority changes.  Now, even if it rains cats and dogs, still I will look forward to find ways to reach office on time. Where there is time to appreciate the beauty of rains. In Mumbai, Rains and Traffic are synonymous to each other.  So, Rains means more time to commute and less time for other important things. Also, as Mumbai is a very dynamic city, hence rains put a brake on the speed of the city. Mumbaikars are always in a hurry still if you ask them anything they will stop and guide you. The city is amazing, the people are awesome. I don’t know what but I truly love Mumbai. Here, people have embraced Rains with open arms despite the fact that it makes their life a lot difficult.

There is always a risk of Flood in Mumbai during this season. So, we have to be careful as we know that in the past, people have been struck at their offices or homes for several hours to few days. But, in these testing times people have shown their true and admiring character. I have read and heard about people showing exemplary attitude to help complete stranger at such difficult times. I have read about people for whom these events were a life changer.

 I was reading about a girl who offered lift in the auto-rickshaw to a guy who was also trying to find an auto to go home on a rainy day. He ends up being her friend and then later a Business Partner. Shortly, that girl met the love of her life through that stranger she met on a rainy day in Mumbai. This is one of the various stories associated with the Mumbai rains and that’s why #MumbaiRains is something extraordinary which inspires us and make us believe in humanity, love and destiny. This spirit of Mumbai is spectacular and anyone can fall in love with this city. I love Mumbai and all the things that come with it in a package like Mumbai Local, Vada Pav, Mumbaikars, Mumbai Rains, Chaos and all the other countless things. So, come whatever, I will always love  Aamchi(my) Mumbai.

In college, we used to either play football in the playfield or would go to the rooftop of our hostel and then will get drenched in the rains. Also, we had once trekked a small mountain near our college during rain. All those memories have again come to life in flashback while writing this. It felt so good to get fully drenched. All other worries or pressure would get vanished and you just be in the moment. I really forgot that beautiful chapter of my life. Life is all about staying happy; feeling blessed and makes others feel equally blessed. This time, I am planning to really enjoy the Mumbai rains like I last did when I was in college.

BY- Rohan Sinha

If you have enjoyed you must also read #MumbaiRains and Me- Part-2

This is the 2nd post of his challenge to himself about writing 111 blog posts in 30 days.

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