India -- Rain and hot -- Two faces of a coin

This is India, different culture, religion, communities and all that in a single nation.
This is what happening in the climate also. Some part of India, people are passing
away due to rain, but another part, people are passing away due to high
temperature. What a comic story! or tragedy?But the people from the southmost
state of India, Kerala, the flooding and the heating are the normal, as they
experienced it.

This is what happened in the 26th July 2005 at Mumbai. Everything was perfect in
the city until the news flashed on 4 O'clock. The day began with pleasant, but felt
it would be pouring. Inside the city, everything was perfect, but in suburbs, the
heavy rain started from morning 11 O'clock. The people at their offices in the city,
didn't know anything about the situations, happened at their places and relatives.
When the news flashed to the city, it was too late and there was no way to get out
from the city. It was totally disconnected. The rail, road and air travelling
possibility was closed. The desperated people, stranded at the railway and bus
stations. Immediately, the food crisis started. There was no way to contact
anybodies beloved one, due to the failure of communication systems and power
failures. Those who tried to reach home were on the half way and stuck like no
mans land for 2 days. We, our bank manager and staffs, were tried to book a hotel
for accommodation, surprisingly, everywhere fully booked. For food, hotels were
saying, please go to the queue, which was already gone to 1 km, if you reach to
the counter and the food available, then you will get. People were going here and
there to collect the food. But no way. Everybody spent their day at offices on
Tuesday. But the situations at suburbs was too bad. The water logging was
terribly increasing and it gone almost the level of the height of two double deckers
one up. Those who knows swimming, at least managed to escape. Those who
don't struggled and finally given up their life. That was horrible tuesday.

The wednesday was also not good. When we tried to drop some of our staffs to
their houses by our vehicle, we saw the real, frustrated people, who were doing
anything to reach their home. Two times, the commuters stopped our vehicle and
tried to open the door and push to enter. And outskirts of the city was flooded and
the neck deep water level. Those who were in the house didn't have anything and
was in dark for these days. But in city, those couldn't go home, started their work
normally at offices, even government declared the holiday. What elese to do.
Thursday was slightly better. Everywhere empty and the abandoned vehicles were
seen in the highways. Some places, the recovering and cleaning works were
started. It was quiet day for all the rescue and recovering works. The day revealed
the count of missing and dead peoples. It was horrible to see.

The next two days were went like normal, but affected the disaster works. But, the
surprising things, the people at the South of Mumbai on Sunday, 31st July, were
enjoying the rain. If you looks on their faces, they didn't have any problem and
don't want to bear anybodies worry. It is like flerting. These people, if you asking
them about the drastic situation, will speak like kind hearten. But never act. At
the same time, another part of India, at Rajasthan and Delhi were struggle for the
lack of rain and the very high temperature. When I had chat with my friends' who
were at these places telling about the lack of rain.

Monday, 1st August, again the fear rained to everybodies mind, as the rain started
from the sundays night without having a full stop. The police declared the "red
alert" and forcefully closed the offices around 2 pm and advised to people to not
come out with thier vehicle on the road.

Deaths are happened due to landslides and disablity of the people to move out.
But some deaths are happened due to the technology. Most of the vehicle washed
out by water. Some people died, because of their automatic locking system of the
car was damaged due to the water got inside the car. These cars having bullet
proof glasses, couldn't break them and thus caused to death. Some people died at
hospital, when the water swallowed them at hospital beds. Some went on to the
opened man holes.

It will take minimum one month to come normal. But some part of the city suburbs
(Thane to Kalyan area) is struggling with water, electricity, as these mandatory
items are not yet restored and couldn't restore for another week. These people
couldn't come out from the area, as the rail road travelling possibilities stumbled.
No food for eating, no water for drinking atleast for washing their hands and no
electricity. What a horrible life!

Moreover, people started to spread rumours, even the news channels also did it.
By rumours 18 people died. The situation is gone like, nobody can't trust
anybodies word, unless they seen by their own eyes.

Please pray for them, those who are survived and suffering due to the natural
calamity. Let Almighty help them.