Memories of 26th July, 2005 - Water, water everywhere.

Memories of 26th July, 2005 - Water, water everywhere.

We watched at first in fascination, then trepidation, as the water steadily crept into the building compound, the slowly seeped into our house. Frantically we tried to remove everything from the ground level of the first room into the next room. A feeling of helplessness gave way to horror as we watched the clear water grow murky because of the gutter water now trickling into the rooms at the back via the kitchen and toilet.
My son and I emptied the lower shelves of the cupboard, which contained clothes, books etc and dumped them on the bed. Surely the water would not rise so high. But we were wrong. The flood had started at about 3 pm and by 7 pm we were standing knee-deep in water. Our car in the compound was now covered with water up to the headlights. The plants we had purchased from the Green Grower Nursery were still in the car. The fish we purchased for the awuarium in the office were still in the plastic bag in the house. We put the bag in a bucket of water, but as the water rose, the bag moved out and joined the medley of flotsam of newspapers, buckets, mugs, slippers, mats, bottle caps, worms and cockroaches.
By 9 pm the water level had reached the mattresses on the bed and the sofa-cum-bed. All the clothes and other things we kept on the bed were slowly getting wer. The neighbours called up upstairs to share a meal but we hesitated - still waiting for the water level to go down, so that we could make our way to Colaba or at at least Mahim, where we could spend the night with relatives, but it was not to be. Finally at about 10 pm we went up to the first floor and had dinner prepared by our neighbours.
Our neighbours gave us mats to sleep on but we were restless. At about 11.30 pm the water had reached the electric meters on the ground floor and suddenly the lights went out. With the help of torches we kept looking out at the water level but looking didn't help at all. The water kept rising higher and higher. Now we could only see the tops of our cars in the compound. The scooters and bikes were already buried in the pool of water.
Calls kept coming in on the one mobile with us that was still in use. (my BPL phone was out of service). We learnt that one sister-in-law was stuck in her office at Malad. My Brother-in-law went to pick up a nieve who was stranded in the school bus. We finally picked her up at 10.30 pm. Another sister-in-law was stuck at Siddhi Vinayak Temple at Prabhadevi. A friend who worked in a hotel had to spend the night there. The few people who managed to return home at night in our building, had to wade through water that was neck deep. Our compound and adjoining roads were now a virtual swimming pool.

Common sense is not so common huh?
This was forwarded to me by someone in mourning:
AN OBITUARY

An Obituary printed in the London Times - Interesting and sadly rather true.
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, *Common Sense*, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn’t always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I’m A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.


Any comments?