As I heated the milk and poured my morning cup of coffee
little did I realize that it would be my first tryst with Mumbai rains. It had
been pouring the whole night and was still raining cats and dogs when I picked
up my handbag and stepped out for work.
I frantically dialed the number of the auto guy who picks me up while the rain lashed on. Finally his brother answered the phone after numerous rings and informed that he had fallen sick. Meanwhile the rain seemed to have stopped for a while. I decided to step out and gamble to find an auto on my own. As the rain had paused I decided to step out without the umbrella which had conveniently disappeared when I needed it the most.
The first hundred meters were a pleasure to walk. The clouds playing hide and seek with the rising sun, the slight barely there drizzle and the fresh breeze. And then it came hitting with full force. The lashing water falling with full force. It barely gave me the time to rush into the shade of the local hotel barsatee, who had been my saviour on days with their chicken fried rice and other 'chineezh' delicacies, but I digress. I had barely reached the main road when the roads soon became rather swimmable than walkable. Unfortunately, not knowing how to swim became a hindrance for me while I was trying to hail an auto. All the dressing up was soon reduced to drenching up. The only way out of the mess was to get on the train. Finally, I was rescued by the local arriving on the platform. Outside someone seemed to have turned on the shower and forgot to shut it while the water overflew.
The sound of the water falling on the tin shed made conversation impossible. Co-workers arriving late with sheepish grins, drenched to the tee became the conversation starter of the day. The trains were the true heroes that saved the city travelers. For the first time I realized that the trains have doors and can be closed shut too. Wonder why would otherwise people hang out when there were vacant seats inside. The sound of the rain lashing on the steel body of the train added to the rhythm of the chugging engine.
Standing at the station platform in the morning desperately seeking a ray of sunlight among the cloud brought a smile to my face. I guess every gloomy, dark, rainy and stormy day brings some ray of hope at the end of it. That's life...
I frantically dialed the number of the auto guy who picks me up while the rain lashed on. Finally his brother answered the phone after numerous rings and informed that he had fallen sick. Meanwhile the rain seemed to have stopped for a while. I decided to step out and gamble to find an auto on my own. As the rain had paused I decided to step out without the umbrella which had conveniently disappeared when I needed it the most.
The first hundred meters were a pleasure to walk. The clouds playing hide and seek with the rising sun, the slight barely there drizzle and the fresh breeze. And then it came hitting with full force. The lashing water falling with full force. It barely gave me the time to rush into the shade of the local hotel barsatee, who had been my saviour on days with their chicken fried rice and other 'chineezh' delicacies, but I digress. I had barely reached the main road when the roads soon became rather swimmable than walkable. Unfortunately, not knowing how to swim became a hindrance for me while I was trying to hail an auto. All the dressing up was soon reduced to drenching up. The only way out of the mess was to get on the train. Finally, I was rescued by the local arriving on the platform. Outside someone seemed to have turned on the shower and forgot to shut it while the water overflew.
The sound of the water falling on the tin shed made conversation impossible. Co-workers arriving late with sheepish grins, drenched to the tee became the conversation starter of the day. The trains were the true heroes that saved the city travelers. For the first time I realized that the trains have doors and can be closed shut too. Wonder why would otherwise people hang out when there were vacant seats inside. The sound of the rain lashing on the steel body of the train added to the rhythm of the chugging engine.
Standing at the station platform in the morning desperately seeking a ray of sunlight among the cloud brought a smile to my face. I guess every gloomy, dark, rainy and stormy day brings some ray of hope at the end of it. That's life...
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| 7:00 AM Mahim Station |
