I went on a day’s trip to Mumbai and back yesterday and these two photographs show the intensity of the rains on the highway. Please forgive the quality of the photographs. They were taken with my mobile phone.
Monsooon should have settled over our part of the world by mid June but it did not leading to wide spread panic about the possibility of a drought after many years. Luckily since the last three days, there has been enough and more rain to raise hopes that the Met may just be right in predicting that the rest of the season will see enough rainfall to wipe out the deficit experienced during the one month that we did not have rains.
It was a tiring if somewhat nostalgic trip for me into the island of Mumbai. It is after many years that I drove through some of my old very familiar areas including passing by the building where my parents lived when my brother and I were born way back in the early forties of the last century. The rain played a spoiler but for all that, it was nice pointing out to my chauffeur the landmarks as it was his first visit to Mumbai.
I was forced to go to Mumbai as one of the clubs in which I am a member insisted that I come personally to prove that I am still alive and to pose for a photograph and sign in their presence so that a new RFID card could be issued for me. I was duly photographed and mollycoddled into signing four times because my signature was too big for their requirment and finally sent off by a very courteous and cheerful young lady who thought that I was a fragile antique piece needing careful handling. I enjoyed that handling and left after complimenting her for her efficiency.
And, no Shackman and John, it was not the kind of handling that you guys are imagining.
My work got over in just under fifteen minutes but I spent about two hours and forty five minutes on the island stuck in traffic! But for all that, I am happy that I went and saw Mumbai from ground level and in pouring rain. That is the Mumbai I have etched in my mind from having lived the maximum number of years anywhere next to Pune.
On the way back, I made brief halts to meet two of my cousins on the mainland and those were not very happy visits as in both places I had to meet people with health issues.
All in all a satisfactory, if somewhat tiring outing.
PS. Please do read the post and the comments, to which I have given a link under “my signature”. One of my treasured stories and the comments combination in my blog.