Romancing the Rains

The dark rumbling clouds turned the lifeless sky into an abode of ash coloured sailing ships – moving towards an unknown destination. <br><br>
Fortunately for us, these water-bearers finally turned towards Delhi. It seems that the Rain Gods have finally listened to our prayers, and the long wait for the Monsoons is at last over. Delhiites can now feel the breezy weather outside and hear the huge drops on the thirsty ground. The dust-laden lack-lustre buildings, forlorn trees and wilting flowers will get a squeaky-clean makeover and a lease of fresh life after being scorched by unrelenting heat and sultry humidity. <br><br>
The cool breeze, out of the blue, changes our dreary mood to bubbly and vivacious. <br><br>
Interestingly, the rains knocked the door of Delhi exactly a day after the Meteorological Department was slammed by the Central government for inaccurate predictions! <br><br>
Now, India Gate, located in the heart of the capital, will be visited by families and friends to enjoy the pleasant weather and have picnics. <br><br>
Rains are like a magic wand. They instantly lift people’s moods, and they look forward to taking cool breaks from work. <br><br>
For Delhiites, who in the summers take refuge in air conditioned malls or even in Metro trains to escape from deadly heat, rains are truly a gift of God. At the least they help cut electricity bills. With Delhi government announcing a hike in power tariffs, that serves as a great relief. <br><br>
We all have gone through myriad experiences of rains over the years. As a school going student, rains used to be an easy escape for taking a day off and spending it by eating delicious <i>pakoras</i> coupled with hot aromatic tea prepared with love by moms and then getting all drenched in the showers on the terrace of our homes. Remembering all those moments is so nostalgic... <br><br>
Then as a college going teenager, spending hours in the canteen with <i>samosas </i> and <i>chole bhature</i> were a beautiful phase of our lives which is never going to come back. Alas, as we grew up, the time to enjoy rain and the small pleasures of life also lessened. One can’t just skip office to enjoy the sublime downpour. <br><br>
However, besides satiating the thirst of our parched city, rains are accompanied by painful stories which are experienced by each one of us. Nonetheless, we reluctantly get used to the agony. <br><br>
Mere two hours of continuous rains can lead to long traffic jams accompanied by unwanted honking, endless wait and rising blood pressure. Also, when you are sitting idle in the car waiting for the traffic to clear, people pass time by peeking into your window panes, which can be highly irritating, to put it mildly. <br><br>
The waterlogged roads and invisible open sewers are a nightmare for those who are sans any vehicle and can be especially dangerous for people riding two-wheelers. It’s an incongruity that the base of Delhi is not built well enough to bear the much-needed showers. <br><br>
Another reason of worry is the rising level of the river Yamuna which exceeds the danger mark every year causing panic among the residents living in the vicinity, especially East Delhi, which is a part of the low-lying area of the city. Adding woes to the swollen Yamuna, the Hathinikund barrage upstream located in Haryana releases over one-lakh cusecs of water that further aggravates the fear of floods in Delhi. <br><br>
In such a scenario, the Delhi government should be ready to welcome rains with open arms while being able to tackle the problems faced by denizens during the monsoon season. <br><br>
So while my heart is full of merry as I hear the roar in the skies, I am keeping my fingers crossed that the infrastructure blues don’t spoil the party.