Delhi Rains and the threat of flood..

Its raining cats and dogs here in Delhi for almost a month now.. As the news of Yamuna approaching the danger sign of 204.83 meters started doing the rounds, I found my parents glued to the news channel following every centimeter rise in its level.. As you might have concluded by now, I want to clarify, No, I don't stay close to the banks to justify this sudden urge to check the water level every few minutes.. It sometimes was at a as small interval as 15 minutes..!!

As I found myself struggling to change the channel, I wondered why was it so important to them.. Then came the news of water level over and above the danger sign.. The news channel declaring how water has been gushing towards Delhi from the Hathnikund barricade and how it would reach Delhi by Tuesday morning.. Ooohhh.. It was suddenly all everyone talked about.. Even my friend who keeps a regular tab on all the latests happenings in the world talked about it, making it seem like the most important thing to discuss.. Like one of those hot topics that you discuss just to show off that you are an aware an informed person..!!

While we joked about being dead in a few days to even concluding that may be the news channels have finally rightly predicted the date life would end on planet Earth, and even discussing what we wanna do before we are dead.. I wondered if it was really something to fret about or was it just another issue blown out of proportion, I decided to investigate..

Okkkk, I exaggerated but still watching an hour long special episode on the news channel on a matter that can be stated in 10 minutes by repeating all the facts twice is really a tiring and exhausting thing, equivalent to visiting the place and collecting all the data yourself.. The same tiring video clip being played more than 15 times whilst all your real concern is being replaced in quick succession with a sarcastic humor when you find yourself mocking the plight of others..But then the insensitivity of the news channels either force you to change channel or change attitude and since I can't do the first, I do the second to comfort my wounded self..

So as I saw the recognizable old Yamuna Bridge that was constructed in 1866 by the British East India Company to connect Kolkata and Delhi via Rail, [I love to look up for the most talked about things on the internet, ohh how much I love the internet age, but then I'l talk about it some other day], I wondered that for a change the chosen location was just apt to present the news.. As they stated filling us with all the information about the danger level of the river and the reasons for this potential threat, I was deeply engrossed in collecting as much information as possible, and NO, u are wrong, not to brag about it but just for the love of it.. But to make it grow ugly, they embarked on their overexploited road of repeating and our focus stated shifting to the clipping of the water level and the bridge and then came the unexpected comment from the mother, 'The water at the other end of the river is more than at this end closer to the screen'..

What on Earth was it? You want to say the river is tilted to the end these guys are shooting from? I wonder what was the humor in this sudden and abrupt line that she spoke so effortlessly as if it should invite applaud and I struggled to digest..!! I didn't want to start one of those great arguments by retorting to it, s I kept mum.. While all day she kept switching to the damn news channel to see the bridge drown in water!! Who on Earth is so obsessed with the Yamuna Bridge drowning down? I feel someone should write this song as it has great potential.. While I heard the water levels rising to 205.34 than to 207.05 meters, I also got to know the last time high was 207.49 in 1978 and wondered if the crossing of that mark now in 2010 was anticipated by all? What if Yamuna actually crosses that mark? Would we rejoice and perform some firework or will we all just go ringing breaking another benchmark of maximum calls in a day when all the networks were jammed? As I pat my back such a mind blowing thought, I think I should talk about the end too..

We watched the news channels flashing pictures of drowning homes and helpless people tenting besides the National Highway while my mother kept remembering the names of all the towns and the latest water level in meters.. The reporters in waist high stagnant water telling us how difficult it is for people in such conditions while government isn't actually doing anything.. A reporter again tickled the funny bone when he announced how the 'Coolar' right besides him drowned as water level kept rising since morning..!!! As if he was standing there since morning just to watch that coolar drown!!! As if it was the most important thing and I even wondered if he had any intentions of saving the Drowning Coolar which he just watched as it drowned..!! [:P]

Well by Wednesday morning the water level finally started receding and again my Mother was glued to the news channel to know about every centimeter decrease in the water level of Yamuna till it finally was below the Danger level of 204.83.. [:D]

I just learned another aspect of human tendency and a few facts about the Danger level, the all time high ever touched and I also learned a little bit about the Old Yamuna Bridge.. [:P]