PART - II, Where am I??

As Ravi edged his behemoth harder, he filled his faith on two things.. One off-course one was himself and the second was the 268 hp engine under the hood of his car. He turned up the volume of his music and oblivious to him, he had switched on a loud Hindi hip hop music which was never his taste. It some how soothed his jittery feelings. He was finding it hard to feel the road, but he kept raving the engine up. All off a sudden he realised that the water had climbed up to his window mirror and he could not see the car hood. He did not know what to do, and in all that his leg seemed to have automatically kept pushing on hard on to accelerator. The only solace was that there was no body in front of him.. His BMW felt like a bullock cart trying hard to move. He could sense that his back tyre was drifting towards right and it was having difficulty to find a grip.

He yelled out, "Good Lord, once more pls... I need to reach home... Help ME!!!"

It was as if his words were heard, the engine roared harder and made its way ahead, he sensed the water level around him was going down. He was able to see his car bonnet clearly now. Water kept receding. He looked at his rear view mirror for a second to see what had happened. That is where he realised that the water seemed to have been gushing out through one of the streets like a river and he happened to have just crossed a "Sangam" (River meeting the sea).  He made a silent prayer and thought all was over and he is now safe, oblivious of what was waiting for him ahead. He kept pushing his car and finally took a sharp right as he entered the community complex. It was a big one with apartments and Villa houses in the community. Ravi had never bothered to take notice of any of these or anything. Most of the times his focus was on the client calls that would last him till the time he reached home. Today he realised that it was after years that there were so many families and he had never bothered to think about any body there. He crossed the apartment complex and turned left towards his Villa rows which was lined with shrubs and some trees on both sides of the road. His house was the fifth as he entered the street. He could see Maya on the porch, eagerly waiting for him to come home. He cut left to park his car on the dry porch. He missed to see that there was a small stream of water flowing on the street. As he got down, he could not resist but hug Maya. It was Ravi more than Maya who was searching for reassurance of things being ok!!

They got in and Ravi got into playing with both his kids who were oblivious to what was happening outside. Ravi did not talk about his recent experience with Maya. He felt at ease. As the evening went on, the rain went on pounding as if it was angry with earth for some reason. By 10 pm he stepped out to the porch and was surprised to see that the water was at the porch and he was not able to see the small grass patch in front of his house. He sensed the porch bulb flickering. At that point he felt things to be really going bad with this non stop rain. He thought of the rain water drain and made a point to talk to the association, with whom he had never connected. He checked his car lock and then stepped back into the house, locking all the doors. Maya had ensured that the kids were tucked well in their bedroom in the first floor and had headed back into the living room on the ground floor. Ravi was in the kitchen making a coffee for them. He loved his late night coffee which he had got addicted to for the past three years now. He gave a cup to Maya and sat down on the sofa watching the news. News as usual was about things that never bothered the common man in the country but with sensationalisation every time. He was switching channels to see if there was anything about Chennai rains, but that did not seem sensational compared to the stupid clips being played over and over. Five mins later Maya asked Ravi "if he heard something unusual". He turned the TV mute but could not hear anything. At that moment he felt his feet wet. He looked down and looked at Maya asking if the Kitchen sink was open. She rushed in and found everything in place. She could sense that the water was coming from somewhere else. She looked around. By now Ravi was curious too and he looked at his main door and realised that the water was seeping in through that. He rushed to open the door. The moment he opened it, a gush of water rushed in. With lots of difficulty he could slam close the door. Water had entered his house and was seeping through the gap below. Not sure what to do, he told Maya go to the first floor, she insisted to stay on... Maya freaked out saying water was coming in through the kitchen door too... Now water had spread all across the ground floor like a carpet cover. Ravi put all his DVDs and surround system on the sofa and started to move up on the stairs. As they both moved up, the electricity went off but he knew that the DC will be up and running any second now. They waited as the seconds turned into minute, Ravi was slowly feeling the panic that he had inside the car. "My Car!!!"  Ravi freaked. Even before he could take a step forward, Maya held him saying "not now, let the water drain off. I am sure, this will go away". In the darkness he thought that was a better option.

They headed upwards as they could hear the kids calling for them. They got into the kids room and stayed there. They kept talking to kids and to each other as what would be happening below. Ravi said we can check it in the morning. In the darkness both of them slept off along with the kids in the same room. Ravi woke up and checked his pockets for his cell phone but then he realised that he had left his cellphone in the ground floor. He scrambled for a torch that he had never used. It had been lying patiently there in the cupboard gathering dust. He fumbled on the torch switch, which was not willing to switch on. He yanked it and at last there was light. He headed down towards the ground floor. He could hear the gurgling sound more clearly and now he was feeling tensed. As he reached half way down, he saw that water was already 2 feet in his living room and the steps seemed to be disappearing faster under water.  He felt scared, in the darkness he stepped back not sure what to do... He went back into the kids room and woke Maya up quietly. He told he what the situation was below. They both stepped out and watched what was happening to their beautiful house while feeling helpless. Maya reached out to her phone and checked the time, it was 4.30 am in the morning. Day light was still away!!! Maya thought for a while and left to her bedroom, she pulled out a bag and put in some of their clothes and also of the two kids. Ravi asked what she was upto, she stated it is a feeling if the water comes up at least we could have some for a change. Ravi did not argue with her as he was more lost in a state of shock.

The minutes were horrifying to wait, they could not sleep. Ravi could feel that the rains have abated for a while and now there was a mild drizzle. By 5.45 am there was a little bit of light, and he rushed towards the balcony to make sense of what was happening. He was shocked at what he saw and stood by the door of the balcony. He felt as if he was on a boat with water everywhere. He had a helpless feeling.  Maya came behind her and freaked out... she could see cars floating on the road right in front of her house. The next thought was where is their car and how would it be. By now, Ravi had reconciled to the fact that, save ourselves and survive. This is not an ordinary day. The next biggest thing was hunger, what will they eat and their kids... They had to hold on... Fortunately the rains had stopped but the water was gushing out with ferocity in front of them. If was as if they were staying on the river banks. Ravi saw a lot of his neighbours for the first time. All of them started waiving to each other and asking about their physical well being. He was responding to them but they all were worried. As the day wore on, the food being less they were managing with some biscuits and the water bottle in the kids room that Maya had brought last night. Every hour was agonising and the feeling of helplessness was becoming stronger. None of them could come down or move. The only solace was the balcony as someone or other was there on their balcony. They were trying to call for help. Some how to reach one another. The kids were getting hungry so somehow he and Maya asked for some food help from their neighbours. With what ever they could manage to get, they fed their kids. They stayed hungry with nothing much to do. The evening was more agonising as it was pitch dark and the torch light was also dying. The kids slept off hungry and Maya could not bear the helplessness that she was felling. She broke down and wept hard. Ravi was clueless. They had tried to reach out to their friends asking for some help. More so, food for the little ones. But so far not much that could be done.

The second day by 6.30am, Ravi could see someone coming towards their streets. He was stunned and it felt as if someone had chocked him, his voice could not come out. There was some noise from the neighbours. Hearing the voices, Maya had come out onto the balcony and started asking for food too, with a hope. The boatsman had exhausted with what ever he had by the time he reached Maya's balcony. He said in a very calm voice, "Ma, don't worry help is on its way. I will come back soon with food and milk for your kids." It seems eternity when after 2 hours the boats man back again. He had given some food and milk for the kids. He turned around and was about to leave, when Ravi pulled out a 500 rupee note to give him. The man said, "Sir keep it, I do not need it. Take care of your family". He had made 8 more trips that day with many more unknown faces who had food and some bedsheets to use. Ravi had put his hand forward when ever there was a need. Now more shamelessly for his kids and wife. Maya had not been sleeping. She would be looking at the ground floor with fear of the rising water and the other was the anxious eyes searching for some food and freedom.

The next day, as the water started to reduce there was hope of getting down into his ground floor.. Ravi was stunned by the impact. There was still knee deep water but everything of his beautifully  decorated house was destroyed. The sofa was on top of the music system. The new gas cylinder was floating around... more so, there were fishes everywhere. He ran up with tears in his eyes. Maya understood that the house was in shambles... They heard some announcements happening outside, and realised that the association members on their big apartment complex are asking them to come out of their houses so that they could feel the dry places that they have arranged in the nearby school. Maya was in a state of shock. Ravi was no better either. They got their kids and the little bag that Maya had got ready on the first day and got into the boat without any questions. They wanted to get out. As they moved out and came to the school, they were given new mats and bedsheets by their neighbours.

They had a proper bath and got to a corner of the school room. Ravi had put forward his hand for food. Maya had clutched her kids and slept off knowing that they were far away from water and were in human contact. She had not slept properly in the past three days and slept off.

Ravi ate the sambar rice that was served to him. He ate as if this was the first time he was seeing food. He broke down and wept like a kid. What use was his BMW, Villa, position in office, bank balance, foreign travel when all he wanted was a safe place for his kids and a three time meal for them. All of this was just his ego which was of no use when he really wanted. He made a resolve then and there to start connecting with people, helping others there and support in what ever that he could do.

He had just stepped out of the corner to go and help in the cooking when he heard Maya yell, "the water is coming up... Ravi help!!!"... Ravi ran back to her and hugged her, trying hard to comfort her...

It is two weeks now, they had gone back to their house. Cleaned it and trying to settle things. But still Maya has the fear of water gushing in and was finding difficulty in sleeping. She would wake up every now and then and check with Ravi "where am I??" Has the water come into the house??...

This Chennai Floods has brought in many of us come close to reality and the real meaning of life....

PART I - Where am I ??!!

Where am I?? A question that the Maya kept asking every 2 hours...

After so much of struggle and having come to big city, Ravi wanted to make it big. A dedicated employee and had been a fast tracker all his life. If one had to look at his resume one would be stunned by the kind of growth and roles he had performed. He had always felt good about his growth and spoke about it often. He had been married for the last 10 years to Maya and have two wonderful kids both school going. With his hard earned money he had brought a villa at one of the posh and leading builders on the Old Mahabalipuram Road. The villa was slightly on the higher end but he could not resist his temptation to buy it. It very important as both Ravi & Maya as they loved to host small parties and to have a good social life this villa was perfect and idealistically located. He had taken a loan on 80% of the property cost and has been paying EMI religiously for the last 4 years. He was eagerly waiting to pay up the EMI. As time moved on he brought a BMW X3, which was now one year old was his darling. Well life was good and their other plans were building on. As the year end neared his plans for the much awaited family foreign trip was on. December was the month of holidays that this family of 4 eagerly awaited for.

It was 1st Dec'15 when the rain pour had started very early, rather it had started pouring on through out the night and early morning saw no stoppage. Well it was a big day at office for Ravi as he had some major deals to be finalised and was eagerly awaiting for its closure. He had rushed off to office by 8 am, inspite of Maya's insistence not to go. She was not feeling too good because of the rains and also wanted Ravi to stay and work from home. Well his X3 had ensured him reach office in luxury and quicker. It seemed to be a bad day for Ravi, the deal results were not out and the final results were getting postponed by another week. He was furious and was becoming impatient like the rains outside, which was pouring without a comma or full stop. It had been pouring continuously for the last 12 hours now. To distract himself he had poured himself into the activities and plans that he had kept aside. He had noticed that most of his colleagues had not come to office. He did not bother to call them, rather was more happy in the work he was into. It was 2 pm and he felt hunger pangs. He had not bother to look at his cell phone which was on the silent mode. As he got up he realised that there were 6 missed calls from his wife. He had ignored all her calls. As he called her back, he could hear a feeling of anguish and scare. Maya again insisted for him to come back as it was pouring outside. He said that he would leave in a while and be home and not to be worried. He did not check on the rains post that.

Finally at around 5.00 pm he left his cabin and headed to the car parking, as he found the office to be rather empty and everyone was running away. That was the point he realised what a mess it was outside. It was dark and rain was pounding earth as if the heavens have opened up with anger and frustration. He hurriedly made his way to the parking lot in the basement. There was 1/2 feet of water there. He cursed the admin folks for not having pushed the builder to make better water draining arrangements. He got into the comfort of the car and played the music as the engine came to life. As he got out of the office parking he was invited by table tennis ball size water droplets hitting his windshield and the intensity of this was real high. His wiper blades had come to life the very instance and were running a 100 mtr sprint on the windshield. As he got out of the office and took the left onto the main road, he found that his car was wading through 2ft water. He remembered to make a quick call to Maya and tell her that he had started. She rattled out that the roads were bad and he should hurry. He cut the call and tried had to focus on the road. At Sholinganallur as junction he pushed his car 3 ft water and he could here the engine struggle as his car exhaust was trying hard not to let the water come in. Ravi kept pushing the accelerator on a rated flooded free road. At last after having come to the Junction close to Sathybhama college he took the right to get closer to his home. House was hardly another 3 kms. He found a no water patch and was glad that now he would reach home soon. No sooner had he finished his thought he saw that he was facing a sea in front of him. He was wondering what happened to the road...

He now on his mental map and GPS that showed him the road. Having pushed his car for another 300 mts, he realised that he could not feel the road. His cell phone rang and he knew it was Maya. He put his car speaker on. Even before Maya could say anything, Ravi started asking about his kids and what she is planning for dinner. He did not want the surrounding impact him in anyway. Now he was more determined to reach home, and he never wanted Maya to feel panicked at this point of time. He said to her that he will be there in another 15 mins and cut the call...

To be continued.....

Need.. The way we see it!!

The laughter, the wild gesture of this women playing in water, the giggle of the other women, it was really contagious.

It was the day when the sun was out in Chennai after the torrential rains that have lashed out in the city flooding. The heavens seems to have opened up and the city was submerged with 290 mm of rains in one day. It was a harroing time for me to drive back from my office back home to my safety net. My car had run through knee deep water on the main atrial road connecting Sholignalur and Medavakkam. As I was making my way through the water, there was only a prayer for my safety and the safety of car. I was oblivious of the others who were behind me. As I reached home, I was in a state of shock as to what I had crossed. The night was restless and the eagerness was for it to be over. Could not bear to hear the pounding of the rains on the tin roof of the adjoining appartment. The next day as the clouds started to clear, there was a happy feeling and the eagerness to see the sun. It was such an irony to be waiting for the sun in Chennai which has got a lable of being a hot city. As the news started flowing in, the realization dawned that I was in a place which was a lucky hole of being on a dry ground. But my neighbours were not so lucky, there was neck deep water and the sound of distress everywhere. Within a couple of days the rain Gods being merciful, and the downpour being less my friend Wasim and I went out to see what is the situation around. The worst part was the loss of connectivity and our cell phones being just mere boxes without any signals.

Slum board area with knee deep water

After having gone driven our two wheelers across some of the difficult stretches where it was difficult to state if there was road or only holes we reached out to a place which has been in the media for the last few days. This place has been in neck deep water. The folks near by had people who had brought villas worth crores. Their houses was in absolute shambles with watermarks still visible to have touched ¾ of the stilt. Thankfully that day, the waters had come down and was crossed the villas and reached the slum development board area. This place we could not dare to take the Activa any more as the water level was high. We decided to walk through. As we went deep into the place, the water started rising and we both were in stuck with the intensity of the impact that has hit the place. Most of the houses and shops had locks and did have signs of people having left the place in a hurry to safer places (I suppose).

The watermark shows how much water
this place has seen...

As we walked further where we could see young guys trying their luck with luck with fishes in the stagnant waters, some of them were jubilant too as they seemed to have caught a few. There was signs of team work too, as few of them got together to cast their mosquito nets to catch fishes. There were streams of water that were gushing out of the streets before meeting the main road. Those openings had a good current enough to push a small child out into the open lake which was 400 mts away. As we waded through that part carefully, Wasim and I started to talk about what kind of relief work that can we done here and we were thinking for getting food and other materials that we could collect and give it to the people here. All of sudden, something caught my attention and then I realized that there was a lot of giggle and laughter just a few 100 mtrs ahead.

And I was like, wohoooo… now this is a twist in the tale. There were many ladies who had come in from their appartments and were having a holy dip. There were a couple of ladies in their Nighty who had put their head against the stream current and were floating. They would bob out their head for a while to gasp air and then again go in. Oh boy!! They were in a delightful state. The other ladies who were around them were getting ready to have a bath and wash their clothes. A little further we could see a whole community of people who had come down to wash their clothes and have a bath. As if this was not enough we saw young men and women brushing their teeth in that same water. Cleaning themselves up and their vehicles too at the same time trying to fish too..

Wasim & I walking down

This was a contradiction to what we had been thinking as they would have been marooned and in need. When we caught up with some of these people they started saying that the sight was bad a couple of days back where water was running upto waist deep and there was no support that the government or any one could come in and do. While today, they were finding ways to limp back and they have found ways to have fun and enjoy. Yes, a lot of them have lost a lot but then one does not get this kind of water everyday so have fun and enjoy as long as it lasts.

As I walked back, I was lost in the fact that the need keeps changing with time. And the human being is resilient. He would crib but then survival is such a strong instinct that he will bounce back and find his way through wether one gives help or not. The question that I was left wondering was, So when does one say that it is a need for him or her? And how would one keep a track of the changing needs of people in such a calamity to help them or I may get really later and have spent the money and effort just to know that it is not the need any more at the time of serving them.

Fishing!!!

Have always been fascinated the way, the fishermen throws the net in the water to catch a bounty. The view of them throwing either standing a little away from the shoreline or from the boats / catamarans in the early hours of the day is mesmerizing for me. Always used to think of how easy it is make that throw and grab the fishes, till the moment I myself grabbed one recently.

 I happened to be at one of the inner connecting road between OMR (Old Mahabalipuram Road) and ECR (East coast Road) where there are lots of migratory birds. I had taken my camera to shoot these lovely colourful birds. That is when my wife and I met Prasanna. A driver by profession but a fisherman to fill his spare time and make some extra money.

He said that he has been catching fishes for the last 3 years and found it exciting. When we met him, he had already done one round of throwing his net and getting the first catch of six good sized fishes. We got excited and asked him, if we could try our hand at it. He was spirited and said why not... Little did we know then, that he was having fun at our expense...

Well, though it seemed fun but he was a good teacher... he taught us how to wrap the net around our fingers and then the arm. Once that was done, he spread the lower open end of the net around the left arm and a good part of the lower end in right hand. My wife tried and then she very eagerly asked me to try.. I was glad to repeat the process. As I was doing that, I asked my Guru Prasanna,

Me - What is the weight of this simple looking net?? I am feeling a small pain in my left arm..
Guru - Sir, not much, just 4 Kgs.
Me - What!!!, I feel like I am holding 10 Kgs or more...
Guru - No worries sir, you will get used to it...
Me - Yeah, so true... given the burden we carry every day back from office!!!

Anyway, my freaking ego that I could do this simple thing was burning too hard to douse. More so, my wife was enjoying the whole show standing behind (Cursed male ego!!)

Once having tied the net around my arm, I slowly stepped into the cold cold water. I could well feel the muddy slippery base of the water bed... Thanks to National Geography (magazine & TV), I was thinking about the world of worms and germs that would be seeping in through my feet into my biological system and what all would happen. Damn!! those momentary few second, I also imagined myself in the hospital bed... I snapped out as my Guru told me to release the net. After steadying my feet,I threw the net as hard and as far I could.. Splash!!! wow, i could throw if 2ft away a 4 kg net. My Guru then said, Sir!! You should have released the wire too.. oh!! goodness, I forgot the complete release..

Anyway, two tries later, I said to him politely, "Boss, you are the guru, please carry on". My hands were aching by then and I got behind the camera to get back to the business that I was used to.. But, I loved the new experience that I got!!! It was kwel...

Realized, what may look easy only comes after lots of practice... Those fishermen on Catamarans must have got their skills too well grooved, one to balance and second to make that throw on their shaky platforms!!!

Well at the end, I did what I always do the best, ate the fish that my Guru had caught. Yummmm...

Peace and Grandee

Mother Nature has so many treasures and one of the most beautiful creations is “The Avian” life... As much fascinating they are to watch, they seem to be equally difficult to capture their movements. Recently, I did my annual ritual of going to Vedanthangal.. One of the best bird sanctuary in Chennai. All you need to do is to plan to spend your day there with these beautiful creatures.

This place is close to 75 kms from Chennai on the GST road. Though the main road is a very good drive, but the inner road of last 14 Kms could be better. I felt that last stretch gives you the feel that you are getting into a reserve area.

It is stated that the local people actually care for the birds and protect them too. I get awed with not only by their majesty, but by their flamboyant colours and sizes. They do really come in various sizes and they are BEAUTIFUUUUULLL!!!

This time when we planned for the travel the idea was to shoot the birds and capture their moves. I wanted to experiment with my camera. Happen to reach their by 11 am and set my equipment to start shooting. One thing for sure that shooting birds teach you Patience and patience and patience... and then there are times when I am so much awed by the beauty of the birds that I tend to forget the intent of being there. You could find “Grey Pelican, painted stork, vsnake bird, Open-billed stork, large egret and many more…

Some of these large birds, one would wonder, how can they fly so swiftly? They are so so huge, and then their wings are very strong to enable them for the cross continent movement. Though when they try to get onto the water, they do not land, the large ones crash land and then they glide too on the water. The proverb stands so true, “Duck looks so calm on outside but keeps flipping its webbed feet hard underneath”. The elegance and grandeur personified.

The beauty and vibrant spread makes me wonder could we humans ever bring that out. One could simply be awed.

Co-existence is something that we humans should really learn from Mother Nature. There happen to be this one particular shrub, which is right in across a “Bird watch platform” that had a lot of these Grey Pelicans which stay. If my observation is right, that place is marked out for these large birds year on year. At the first sight one would think that it is a monopoly of these large birds but when you keenly observation, one could see hoards of bats hanging underneath their nests. It
was amazing to see the co-existence. Neither of them is troubled by it. You could think, “Live and Let live” staring right into you. We humans have so much to learn from Mother Nature. Some part of us does try to live in that co-existence. The villagers protect these birds because they find the birds to be very helpful. During the late monsoon season that Chennai has, the water bridges between the sanctuary and the farm lands are closed so that the place could be filled up with water for the Birds to come and stay. The birds fly in and stay between November till Feb. Once the birds have moved out as the temperature gets more warmer, the water is released to the nearby farm lands. This water is supposed to be filled with a lot of manure and helps the fields with a good yield. One would not need any more of these artificial chemicals to make the fields yield better… Support to the ecosystem is balanced.
We were there till 3.30 pm, if not for the thought to drive back home. But, as I drove back I had taken with me not only the movements but also lot of memories and refreshed..

The place is well cut off from all the hustle and business. What they say, that time slows down is very true at that place. The sound of the birds, the shade of the trees and the cool cool breeze, just helps you unwind and puts your mind at peace. All so so SO beautiful. For me this is a heavenly place which, I intend to visit every year…