The dark rumbling clouds turned the lifeless sky into an abode of ash
coloured sailing ships – moving towards an unknown destination.
Fortunately
for us, these water-bearers finally turned towards Delhi. It seems that
the Rain Gods have finally listened to our prayers, and the long wait
for the Monsoons is at last over. Delhiites can now feel the breezy
weather outside and hear the huge drops on the thirsty ground. The
dust-laden lack-lustre buildings, forlorn trees and wilting flowers will
get a squeaky-clean makeover and a lease of fresh life after being
scorched by unrelenting heat and sultry humidity.
The cool breeze, out of the blue, changes our dreary mood to bubbly and vivacious.
Interestingly,
the rains knocked the door of Delhi exactly a day after the
Meteorological Department was slammed by the Central government for
inaccurate predictions!
Now, India Gate, located in the heart of
the capital, will be visited by families and friends to enjoy the
pleasant weather and have picnics.
Rains are like a magic wand. They instantly lift people’s moods, and they look forward to taking cool breaks from work.
For
Delhiites, who in the summers take refuge in air conditioned malls or
even in Metro trains to escape from deadly heat, rains are truly a gift
of God. At the least they help cut electricity bills. With Delhi
government announcing a hike in power tariffs, that serves as a great
relief.
We all have gone through myriad experiences of rains
over the years. As a school going student, rains used to be an easy
escape for taking a day off and spending it by eating delicious pakoras
coupled with hot aromatic tea prepared with love by moms and then
getting all drenched in the showers on the terrace of our homes.
Remembering all those moments is so nostalgic...
Then as a
college going teenager, spending hours in the canteen with samosas and
chole bhature were a beautiful phase of our lives which is never going
to come back. Alas, as we grew up, the time to enjoy rain and the small
pleasures of life also lessened. One can’t just skip office to enjoy the
sublime downpour.
However, besides satiating the thirst of our
parched city, rains are accompanied by painful stories which are
experienced by each one of us. Nonetheless, we reluctantly get used to
the agony.
Mere two hours of continuous rains can lead to long
traffic jams accompanied by unwanted honking, endless wait and rising
blood pressure. Also, when you are sitting idle in the car waiting for
the traffic to clear, people pass time by peeking into your window
panes, which can be highly irritating, to put it mildly.
The
waterlogged roads and invisible open sewers are a nightmare for those
who are sans any vehicle and can be especially dangerous for people
riding two-wheelers. It’s an incongruity that the base of Delhi is not
built well enough to bear the much-needed showers.
Another
reason of worry is the rising level of the river Yamuna which exceeds
the danger mark every year causing panic among the residents living in
the vicinity, especially East Delhi, which is a part of the low-lying
area of the city. Adding woes to the swollen Yamuna, the Hathinikund
barrage upstream located in Haryana releases over one-lakh cusecs of
water that further aggravates the fear of floods in Delhi.
In
such a scenario, the Delhi government should be ready to welcome rains
with open arms while being able to tackle the problems faced by denizens
during the monsoon season.
So while my heart is full of merry
as I hear the roar in the skies, I am keeping my fingers crossed that
the infrastructure blues don’t spoil the party.
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