Sarad flew by quickly as she saw her brother treading on towards our city…
He came in gently, cheering up my mind, beautifying the leaves and flowers with water droplets.
Little did I know that he had something else waiting for me…
In a matter of hours he began pouring water heavily down and I still was unaware of his creation. Time ticked by…
Time wove on, crocheting seconds into minutes and the rain became heavy…
Minutes soon formed knots and crocheted itself into hours and the rain became heavier…
A spent coconut leaf fell down in the house opposite to mine and water level began increasing…
I didn’t know that this time Hemanta brought his daughter, Nisha (that’s what the hurricane was named) along with him. Nisha in Sanskrit means night. Night doesn’t always indicate serenity. It also is an indication of danger… darkness… fear…
That’s what Nisha brought in… Fear… Darkness… Danger… She felled more trees, satisfying her hunger. Hemanta darkened the skies to please his daughter. She gave out a terrifying laugh that sounded like the rumbling of the clouds and her teeth were as white as lightning. She clogged the drainage with unimaginable stuff that she collected on her way.
The water-level increased.
Hemanta realized that his daughter had taught us enough and took her out of the city, but before she departed, she kicked playfully that forced waters into houses. She was mocking at our drainage and sewer systems. She was meaning to say that we needed to improve. She couldn’t be blamed except for the deaths that she caused, for which I still curse her, but that’s her nature!
With her out of our city, Hemanta looked mournfully down at one of the residents of Plantville and a tiny drop of tear fell on it. He realized that one of his daughters took up the greater danger on herself.
(Since she deserves a separate post, I didn't reveal her identity).
Sometimes, Mother Nature might seem cruel, but a mother needs to be soft or harsh depending upon how her children are behaving.
I really thank all my friends for their support at such times. I can never ever thank you all enough…
10 comments:
Hi Chandramouli, I hope 'the night' has passed and a new dawn is coming. I hope the sky will clear and take all the rainy clouds away I want the sun to come out and that you will soon smile again. / Tyra
Rain can wreak so much of havoc in our cities. But I'm glad Nisha has finally left, at least for the time being. Glad to see your post!
Chandramouli, I'm so relieved that you're okay. I remember hurricane season in Chennai mainly with affection because it always meant a holiday for schools and colleges (I went to a college there in the days when it was still called Madras). I loved it but I can imagine how upset you got when you saw your beloved plants in tatters.
Tyra: I'm already smiling and am grateful to everyone's prayers. Yes, it's dawned freshly now with more cheerful posts to come.
Kanak: True. I still feel sorry that we don't have facilities to face emergencies. I hope at least now our local government realizes that and start taking actions for a safe future.
Sunita: I too used to love this season a lot not only for the school holidays (wish they declare holidays for offices too) but also for the coldness, in comparison to summer heat, but last week I thought I could bear summer heat than this! I'm sure my plants would recuperate soon. They already look cheerful. :)
Chandramouli, First thank you for visiting my blog and your comments. I have been reading you blog and am pleased that you came through OK. We did not hear about the flooding here in the UK, other terrible events in India dominated our news. Hopefully the rest of the season will be more gentle on you and your plants.
Gary
Hi Gary!
Welcome to Plantville. Yes, the Mumbai blasting shook everyone and the pain that I went through the past week is trifling when compared to that loss. The season has already grown benign. It's just his daughter who was mischievous.
Although a sad, sad story, it was beautifully written and illustrated with your photos. I'm glad you are getting your place set to rights, and I'm so sorry about the destruction throughout your country. Our prayers are with you.~~Dee
Hey Dee! Thanks for the compliments. Now that the shock is over and gone, I'm looking at it as just another lesson in my life. Actually I learnt quite a things these days. And thank you for your support :)
I am so sorry to hear about this terrible hurricane. I hope the flood is over and you and your family are doing well. Indeed, mother nature can be a bit harsh sometimes.
Hi Gisele, Thank you so much for your kind comments. We're all (including my beloved green brothers and sisters and doing well :) )
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