The night it rained

After weeks of listening and reading about northern India reeling under a drought, I finally hit the monsoon. Or rather it hit me and it hit me hard. Yesterday was an eventful evening that I wont easily forget; the unrelenting fury of the rain gods, me going down the drain - literally, the beautiful view from balony of lightning shedding light followed by darkness and then light again.

Yesterday, when I started packing my bag, Tarun asked, "How come you are leaving so early?". I replied back that since Phani is not around, I have the freedom to leave early. Just before stepping out, Ashwani asked whether it was still raining. I said that it was drizzling a little. While cleaning the bike, I wondered, had Phani been around, we would have debated whether or not to wait till the drizzling stopped, and probably would have waited. Rather than relating the ominous cues, I considered myself lucky and drove off towards Andhra mess for dinner.

I had to cover a 2 kms stretch having 2 traffic lights to reach the Mess. The first traffic light was manned by a policeman who kept us waiting for almost 15 minutes. During that time, the intensity of rain increased considerably. I was lucky to be under a protrusion of the under construction metro line. And when it was time to move, I ensured I stayed under the metro line. Things were fine until I reached the second cross roads, where I had to move away from the metro line's shield. In the two minutes drive from there, I was completely drenched.

Worse was when I had to park the bike. All the usual parking locations were either already occupied or clogged with water. I saw an empty location and headed towards it. Thud! The front portion of the bike had landed in a 2 feet deep pit. Funnily though, I cannot recall the exact sequence of events. I remember somebody shouting as I was reached near the pit. I also seemed to have switched off the lights or the engine died on its own. Either ways, both my bike and I were submerged in the pit. Somebody rushed over to help me out. Both of us pulled out the bike and I parked it at a safer location.

I finished my dinner quickly and decided to head back for home. Even though the rain was pounding, I was already drenched and I wanted to reach home asap. Thanks to the wonderful drainage system here in Noida, almost the entire 2 km stretch was clogged with nearly 1 feet of water. What's worse, the wind god seemed to have joined the rain god in the merry making; there would be a sudden gust of wind and water would hit your face with full blast head on!

Finally, I reached home and for a change considered myself lucky that there was no electricity. Being drenched for an extended period of time gives me a very creepy feeling; I hate the sensation of wet clothes sticking to me. I stripped off completely and remained in such a state for several minutes. Changing into a dry and warm dress, I settled in the balcony. Lightning kept occurring for the next 30 mins and presented one of the most beautiful views. There would be a sudden dazzling flash of light, followed by darkness and then another round of light flashing. The absence of electricity rendered an eerie yet stunningly attractive feel.

Today morning, the weather was ominously serene. I ensured that I had my valuable and much needed rain coat. Yesterday, I was foolish enough to prematurely consider myself lucky. Today, I am being foolish again to dare the rain gods for another round. I am game for Round II.