Mumbai rains have been news of the nation in last 24 hours. I switched on news channel to see the mumbai updates. Switched it off in 2 minutes. I opened my whatsapp and am flooded with more messages on dangers and alerts of mumbai rains than the flood in mumbai itself. I myself was out whole and had reached home at about 5pm. On my way I would stop by to click some beautiful pics of Mumbai. At some of the places my car tyres are drowned to almost 75%, driving slowly, trying to figure the potholes and its size by the movement of the vehicles ahead of me. Looking around at bikers and seeing them wearing windcheaters and raincoats that are totally of no use. On a bridge, my vision is totally blurred coz of heavy rains. All I could see is whiteness and rainshowers. After 4 hours of drive I reached home. Enjoying the view from my window, allowing rains to pour in my house and playing with raindrops. I was very hungry after a long drive. Maggie came to be a savior. After some time, I saw people are all set to go for 5 days Ganpati Visarjan. I was like wow! That’s what so special about this city of dreams. Mumbaikars have a different spirit altogether. And I saw that everyone is so capable to help themselves as well as others. But the news channels and whatsapp and facebook adds so much of drama around it. Drama not in the sense that people are having troubles. But they are sometimes hyped, they create panic, they spread rumors and so on. This kind of a situation in Mumbai has its own beautiful flip side too if we just don’t look at the struggles that we face for 1 day. I would like to share some of the good things I came across during this crisis.
Alerts and dangers are issued in public interest. Roads are flooded. But visarjan is full on. That’s the spirit of Mumbai. That’s why people say Mumbai never sleeps.
Beauty of rains!
Food Distribution at rustomjee dahisar west to needy person who loss house in yesterday rain
MUMBAI POLICE: They are always there the unsung heroes.
KEM HOSPITAL
National park highway bridge. Posted by Rajesh jain with message:
Next time you put concrete in River…. remember…
next time you cut trees … remember…
next time you cut mangroves remember….
next time you throw plastic on the road and rivers remember….
This is how nature will give you back all of these things.
Tweet by Anand Mahindra:
Mumbai local train—or Hovercraft?
And here in Mumbai,a friend stuck in a car to the airport for 5 hrs told me that slumdwellers came out to serve stranded people tea&biscuits https://t.co/tzhGobH28Q
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 30, 2017
Why Mumbai gets flooded even in slightest rains?
Marine Drive after heavy spell of rains. 
❤❤ (Picture courtesy: Shreyansh Sheth)
Another beautiful aspect of these floods:
All over internet relief center details were being circulated. During such crisis, everyone unites and help each other. You see only one religion and one class in these crisis and that’s HUMANITY. Mandir, Masjid, Church, Dargah, people living in slums, people living in small and large apartments, restaurants and hotels, all were just there to help everyone.
And there were rumors too 🙂 Like fall of chakala bridge. This rumor was being circulated on whatsapp along with some old pictures.
Another one was Crocodiles are in waters near powai. Please be careful. This too was being circulated along with pictures.
Cyclone alerts and so on. I remember the day when I was stuck in Train in about 2007. I went to office at Opera House in heavy rains just to know that I can go back. Of course I used to travel by train – from Charni road to Malad. Looking at the conditions, I knew I might get stuck. I called home to update my parents on the situation and asked them not to panic if I late or I reach late evening or tomorrow morning. Consider I am stuck coz of heavy rains but also know that I am going to be safe. Well in 2007, there was no whatsapp and facebook too was new. Not many people used it. Especially not on a mobile. There were no rumors or panicky messages to share with people. I got in train from Charni road and it was stuck between lower parel and dadar for 5 hours. I boarded the train at about 11am from Charni Road station. Train started moving slowly after 5 hours. I reached malad station just to walk on roads with waters upto and above my knees. I remember that I reached home at about 8 or 9pm. Yes, it was inconvenient, struggle but also adventurous. I didn’t have control over rains or floods but I had control over what I do. First thing was to tell my family that I am safe and on my way. I even told them, don’t worry if my mobile is not reachable (battery may go down, or network issues or anything is possible in such rains). Second, I knew I may get stuck before boarding the train. Luckily I found a street food vendor, selling vada-pavs. I bought 2 vada pavs, chips and bisleri. I knew I would get a chance to picnic in the train. I chose to enjoy in that moment in whatever was available. More importantly I didn’t have whatsapp or BBM or FB app on mobile to create panic in me or others. But I had an mp3 player to enjoy music. And I also had my Nokia Nseries – N72 to click pictures. Nseries was one of the first mobiles with better cameras than others available at that time 😛 . That moment was just too perfect with all its imperfections – heavy rains, stuck in train, almost empty trains, sitting near the door, eating chips and vadapav and music. What a feeling yaar? Before such messaging apps too Mumbai have been flooded, in much more worst ways. Everyone helped back then too. Everyone had to go thru their own journey back to home and each one of them can be a wonderful story. Let’s enjoy these stories instead of being so dramatic about it. 🙂 And just look at Mumbai. It has already restored its pace. Do you ever wonder all weather alerts we get are so incorrect. If its raining heavily today, immediately we get messages with the forecast that next 48 hours there’s going to heavy rainfall, cyclone, floods, etc. etc. Next day, sun says, ok challenge accepted and there are no rains at all. :P. Why didn’t they gave us the forecast a day before the heavy rains? Lol. This is so funny. Anyways, I hope all enjoyed their heavy rainfall and floodwala journey. Am sure you have your own story to tell. Let life give you some more situations to tell the story! Have fun!
Mumbai Rains – picturesque beauty
