Rainy Day

We Calcuttans need to wake up to a fact. The MET department is correct, on certain accounts.

I agree we have grown up at a time when the Calcutta weatherman had no equipments and most of his " forecasts" were pure guesses. I agree that on most accounts when the forecasts predicted a severe shower and our mothers would arm us with the "raintime attire" which would comprise of the following:

a) a yellow Duckback raincoat which smelt like the car tyre and the buttons of which would invariably fail during a quick shower

b) an umbrella which could conversely be used to hit out worst enemies at school

c) if the above to failed to do their needful service, a Coldarin

However on most of these occasions there was no scope of using these tools as there was no downpour as promised.

Maximum that did occur was a slight drizzle. That of course did not make us use any of the given array of equipment.

Funnily enough, the days when you did not take that umbrella would be that fateful day when the sky would decidce to tear down. Not having the umbrella would mean you could take a walk back home instead of taking the bus or the auto. Yes, there would be red noses and an immense amount of sneezes to take care of later, but who cares?

This Monday was one such day. No, its not one of those days when i was not carrying my umbrella. In fact i have a brand new one. But yes it was definitely one of those days when I passed some frivolous comments about how worthless our Calcutta weatherman is and why his prediction of a cyclone will not be anything more than a slight drizzle and breeze. Hence i braved all odds and went ahead.

While sitting in the cozy confines of office I could hear the occasional window pane breaking and tree breaking but the actual tumult was far from what my imagination could even begin to fathom.

It was late afternoon when most offices called it a day due to power cuts (trees had fallen on high tension wires) or water entering premises. There was no conveyance whatsoever. Buses and cabs refused to go even when paid at a premium simply out of fear that they might be hit by a chance tree or lamp post. The look of the city was essentially bare. Trees had fallen all over the place. A bus stand was smashed to bits. Hoardings stood naked as the advertisement sheets had been torn to shreds. And hundreds of people were walking on the roads, in that perfect zombie walk you find only in Holocaust movies. Shoes in one hand, trousers rolled up to the knee, an umbrella precariously dangling in the other hand, they were walking. They kept to the middle of the road avoiding the trees and other allied items which might endanger their lives. The few vehicles which were plying were being mobbed.

I myself stopped a few cabs asking for a lift. By this time my umbrella was broken, I was soaked, and I hated it. After long trudging through mud and muck, above broken branches and lamp posts I finally reached home to some hot coffee and noodles.

So, lesson learnt: Do not mistrust the weatherman