Skip to main content

A Ray of Hope

Since the past fortnight, TV screens and news websites are ablaze with '#chennaifloods'  and the heart-rendering pictures of the city submerged in water. The atmosphere is charged with fear, tension and anxiety.This is the scene with which almost every Indian house has become familiar with.
The meteorological department is hard at work, trying to predict any more downpours, but are desperately hoping that they don't have to reveal any. The roads have become something of a river with a strong current and the fields wear deceptive looks of lakes. People are stranded inside their homes, with no electricity and water, forced to live on a ration of food.Schools and offices have been closed as it is almost impossible to step out of the house in most areas. Gadgets and vehicles are damaged. Some say that their electrical essentials like refrigerators have been washed away with the water! People are having to wade through this torrent, the water level sometimes, up to their chests! It has been reported that Chennai has received about a month's worth of rain in a single day!
Global warming, is undoubtedly the culprit behind this terrorizing incident. However, the city's planning is also to blame. Had the drains been clean and not clogged, then the water would gradually flow through and this would significantly reduce the amount of standing water. Also, due to coats of cement, tiles and tar covering almost every inch of most urban cities, barren soil and earth is unavailable for the water to seep through.
How many more warnings to we need to realize that proper planning is essential? How many more incidents before this concrete jungle will finally reduce expanding?
But one cannot deny that the country is not helping. The NDRF, the Army and the Navy are busy rescuing frightened souls and delivering food crates to houses. Social networking sites are overflowing with supportive messages and tweets which state that they have rooms where people can stay for quite a few days. Others are trying to help by recharging mobile and internet connections.Small boats are ferrying people to and from places.
It is said that collective prayers are often answered. These prayers have indeed been pondered over by God. He has only just managed to calm Nature's anger and rage, who has mercifully, not showered the city with any more rain, giving the flood time to reduce. But She says that this is indeed the LAST warning and will not show any mercy henceforth. After such a terrible calamity, we should be clever enough to take this as a last piece of advice and do everything possible to keep Nature happy as not even the bravest can face Nature's fury.
Stay strong Chennai. India stands with you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Colour.

Colour breathes joy and life into every creation, whether ancient or modern. Skin tones progress from palest white and dusky wheat to darkest ebony. In the words of Rupi Kaur – ‘It is a blessing to be The colour of the Earth How often must Flowers confuse me for Home.’ A prism splits light into all of its magnificence. Stained glass windows in high-ceilinged churches make light dance across the polished wooden floor. The sun sets over the horizon and plunges within cerulean seas and oceans. Left in its wake are splashes of colour; crimson, orange and golden, skipping across the waves, cruising along the blue surf. Inky stains bleed across the sky as twilight approaches. The advent of velvety indigo, purple and black symbolize them regaining their nightly territory and thus ensues a clash of colour- a real-life watercolour over the ocean. Night tiptoes stealthily and the crescent moon glides, her creamy gossamer gown trailing and dipping into the water. It has floate...
6 comments
Read more

When I Contemplate

The camera attempts to capture a moment- a fleeting second in the swirling whirlpools of time. It captures that moment and immortalizes it, framing it in eternity. Days may pass, years and even decades, but that picture will hang on the wall, making you travel back in time involuntarily. Suddenly, you will be thrust back in time and will feel as if you’re actually witnessing that moment all over again, like you did, all those years ago. It is, as if, no time has elapsed between then and now. Perhaps, that feeling is transient, but you cannot deny it.    The camera captures what the mind perceives, what the eye sees. It enables us to hold on to the image formed by the thousands of electric impulses that zoomed from the optic nerve to the brain at that second. But, more often than not, we associate many moments with an emotion. Looking at the vast, all-encompassing cerulean ocean or the towering trees in a forest, I feel an unexplainable calm and peace. I question my existe...
2 comments
Read more

Holiday Diaries: BANDHAVGARH! #2 The Journey To An Exotic Forest!

The Diwali vacations were round the corner and I was excited to go on holiday! Though, our school spared not even a week for us to thoroughly enjoy ourselves, we children (and teachers) were still looking forward to this much-needed break from varying degrees of stress in our lives. My family was in the process of finalising a holiday destination and were debating upon whether we should go to Delhi. I; for one, was thrilled! I had been wanting to visit the capital for some time now, so when the topic of vacationing arose, I was the first to pipe up and suggest Delhi. Seeing the various, stunning monuments would have been enjoyable as well as an excellent learning experience! However, much to my disappointment, we collectively agreed to the cancellation due to the terrible pollution (which can already be observed and felt), but which would increase during Diwali. My father told us that he'd booked tickets for our stay in Jabalpur and Bandhavgarh. I'll admit it: when I first h...
7 comments
Read more