Have you read the
nursery rhyme which goes like:
Rain Rain Go Away Come Again Another day, Little Johnny wants
to play.
This rhyme always
makes me wonder why does Johnny wants the rain to go away? What game is he
involved in that he can't play now in the rain. How selfish of him to be
bothered about his game and not the rain's as it tries to play along with the
thirsty earth. Why can't he play an indoor game and let the rain play outside?.
"Come again another day?" Johnny! are you nuts? What are the chances
that on an another day you will not be annoyed by rain again. Oh Johnny! don’t
throw tantrums and give us a break. Please you boy let the rain just rain.
How can someone not
like rain. What if Johnny was not Johnny? What if he was a native Indian Jassi
or Hari? Or say our own street lad Hariya who jumps and waddles in any knee
deep water overflowing from a drain just after the first showers. I could have
bet a thousand tomatoes, when the price of tomatoes were Rs 120/Kg, on any Indian
lad for liking showers.
Few years back after
every hot summer day I prayed for rain. When it rained I prayed for more. When
it didn't rain for many days I was saddened by the poor state of farmers as
reported in newspapers. At the sight of dark rain clouds my eyes welled up with
joy, my heart leapt like a frog. As my face felt the gush of cool winds preceding the showers, I was reminded of 'Kaali megha, kalli Megha, Baadal to barsao'
song from the movie Lagaan. I have bicycled in rain, floated paper boats in water
streams adjacent to paved roads, I have splashed and jumped in puddles. Few
years back I loved rain and loathed Johnny.
But not now. Now I
hate any sign of rain and appreciate Johnny's concern. No one has a right to
interfere with a child's play and an adult's peace not even rain. Not even when
it rains only on few days in an entire monsoon season.
Rain and me stopped
being on talking terms since the day I officially joined as a Railway engineer
in Kanpur. One of the busiest railway yard on the busiest route of Indian
Railway, Kanpur was the symbolic blue eyed boy of Allahabad division. So much
so that even a little congestion in train traffic due to any minor technical
failure sent the blue eyed boy into tantrums. When Kanpur irked, Allahabad ouched.
In no time all concerned officials would reach railway station to pamper
Kanpur.
Once the not so
benevolent rain god was benevolent over Kanpur. After months of sweltering summer rain was a welcome affair for all. So
was it for me. But the intensity of benevolence was so heavy that within hours
an entire yard of Kanpur station was submerged in water. Track circuits were
down, Signals failed, tracks were inundated and trains were literally cruising
in water. As more rain poured all platform lines cried for help. Help meant
pumping out the water. Pumping out the water was possible but arranging a pump
at 02:00 A.M was not. Moreover, the final outlet of yard was into a municipal
drain which itself was flooded. Everyone
tried his/her best including making several phone calls and updating every
possible railway organism about the situation (we are perfect in it). The
series of phone calls went through the night. When rain stopped and water receded
at its own pace it was wide daylight. I was tormented by the experience and wished
not so heavy rain again. The bitterness in my relationship with rain shifted
levels as I and my colleagues spent several sleepless nights attending failures
at station.
The work profile and
work place has changed for me now. But my equation with rain has only soured
thereafter. In my story rain has become that wicked villain that never lets the
hero to relax in peace. If it rains we have to rush to a remote location just
to ensure the smooth running of trains over an under construction bridge.
A minor water leakage
over platform shed is not dangerous at all unless it starts making round as a
lethal image in whatsapp groups.
Questions are raised
over our ability, we are reminded about our accountability till we feel guilty
and then in one such rainy day someone fixes the responsibility. The erstwhile
culprit Rain goes clean as always.
So when an entire
country wishes an early arrival of monsoon, I wish it never arrives. In
newspaper reports of monsoon forecast I inadvertently look out for El-Nino. When
it rains normal people think of hot tea and pakodas while we railwaymen think
of water in yards, bridges, leaky roofs, breaches, caution in speed of trains
etc.
Rain has become an
imaginary thief breaking into my empty house as we are away on a vacation. Mere
sight of rain clouds sends shivers down my body as if someone is threatening me
with a "Duguna Lagaan Lagega" consequence.
As I try to grab and
write my thoughts, a close friend of mine is all set for his pre-wedding
engagement. A forecast of high intensity rainfall is also beaming across news
channels. My mind is split into two: one half planning to be alongside my friend
on his ring ceremony. The other half is worried about rain and the 24 hour
vigil near newly constructed bridges over tracks. After much deliberation,
mental confusion and my wife's persuasion I firmly rekindled the faith in the
unreliability of meteorological department and am all set to attend the
ceremony. Thus how I was reminded of that old nursery rhyme:
Rain Rain bloody go away,
And don't show your face on any other day.
Thankyou for reading.
