New Delhi:
Years of living in Mumbai and working for a 24-hour news channel are sure-shot ways of hating the rain. 'Hate' perhaps is too strong a word, but it does do something to your mental make-up and 'dislike' seems too mild a term to describe it. Walking barefoot on the freshly washed lawn or a leisurely stroll by the sea may come to mind but are rarely put to practice.
It pours and you can be sure people are making plans to dash off to the mountains or the nearest beach destinations. For those who don't have that option, staying away from work is more or less acceptable given what happened on July 26, 2005. Still others make the most of their 'chai' and 'pakoras'. But, you can be sure, day off or not, reporters will already be wondering how to get to work, wade to work if need be.
So naturally, moving to Delhi meant goodbye to the rain madness. I thought it would be a good thing, honestly. I cannot, for a moment, even remotely imagine standing near Milan Subway (which by definition is a low-lying area) and wonder why it's getting flooded.
Well, be that as it may, Delhi woke up to stunning weather this morning. It was beautiful, the pitter-patter outside, the hazy contours in a distant skyline and the freshly bathed lawn, along with a mug of coffee. The rejuvenated spirit died a horribly premature death minutes later when I had to step out and head to work. No autos, flooded roads, hidden ditches, unruly drivers (who love to splash slush on the less fortunate fellow travelers alongside) and broken down vehicles.
In hindsight, it's a wonder I reached the metro station in one piece after the sputtering auto (that was already over-charging) broke down twice en route. I know it's just one day and many more may follow. No doubt we need the rain, but I don't remember anyone ever saying we don't need infrastructure. Storm-water drains and better roads to name a few. Just because the national capital doesn't have a full-fledged monsoon season like Mumbai does not mean it completely embarrasses itself by exposing its shortcomings so miserably. The northern power-grid collapsed on Monday and in Gurgaon on Tuesday, rain was the cause of traffic jams. This is the millennium city, I hear, with all its shining malls and glass buildings. Unfortunately, just one shower and the sheen comes off so easily, exposing its soul. My first impressions of this 'world-class' city, would fail to even crawl close to 'zero' on the rating scale, forget a decimal above.
But I do intend to reclaim my monsoon, even if it means, only in my head!
It pours and you can be sure people are making plans to dash off to the mountains or the nearest beach destinations. For those who don't have that option, staying away from work is more or less acceptable given what happened on July 26, 2005. Still others make the most of their 'chai' and 'pakoras'. But, you can be sure, day off or not, reporters will already be wondering how to get to work, wade to work if need be.
So naturally, moving to Delhi meant goodbye to the rain madness. I thought it would be a good thing, honestly. I cannot, for a moment, even remotely imagine standing near Milan Subway (which by definition is a low-lying area) and wonder why it's getting flooded.
Well, be that as it may, Delhi woke up to stunning weather this morning. It was beautiful, the pitter-patter outside, the hazy contours in a distant skyline and the freshly bathed lawn, along with a mug of coffee. The rejuvenated spirit died a horribly premature death minutes later when I had to step out and head to work. No autos, flooded roads, hidden ditches, unruly drivers (who love to splash slush on the less fortunate fellow travelers alongside) and broken down vehicles.
In hindsight, it's a wonder I reached the metro station in one piece after the sputtering auto (that was already over-charging) broke down twice en route. I know it's just one day and many more may follow. No doubt we need the rain, but I don't remember anyone ever saying we don't need infrastructure. Storm-water drains and better roads to name a few. Just because the national capital doesn't have a full-fledged monsoon season like Mumbai does not mean it completely embarrasses itself by exposing its shortcomings so miserably. The northern power-grid collapsed on Monday and in Gurgaon on Tuesday, rain was the cause of traffic jams. This is the millennium city, I hear, with all its shining malls and glass buildings. Unfortunately, just one shower and the sheen comes off so easily, exposing its soul. My first impressions of this 'world-class' city, would fail to even crawl close to 'zero' on the rating scale, forget a decimal above.
But I do intend to reclaim my monsoon, even if it means, only in my head!
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