Hi-Tide, Bye-Tide

This year in Mumbai
We have the alert from monsoon-bhai
Stay indoor or get washed away
The weather-man warns almost everyday
Schools are shut to avoid a calamity
We all shiver under floods enormity
But as we gaze at the sky
It’s covered with black clouds that act sly
Light drizzles and showers in the name of rain
Even the ground water levels have nothing to gain
The city is reeling with water-shortage
While water logging is all over TV footage
The monsoon’s taken us all for a ride
This year it is Hi(gh)-tide, bye-tide!

 

Is it really a bad Omen?

I was born on a solar eclipse day. It was considered to be one of the major ones. My mother shares her memories of the day when she was in the hospital with me and my father was at home with my two elder sisters to make sure they don’t venture out.

 

People have a lot of theories, some scientific and some religious/traditional of how a solar eclipse can effect babies that are in the womb and even new born babies. Some talk about physical abnormalities and some talk about mental abnormalities. Since I was born on a solar eclipse day i have found the perfect excuse for all my essectricities

 

On a serious note, one wonders what people in the stone ages thought and felt during a solar eclipse. For people who thought that thunder and rain were punishments from god, one can only imagine what a solar eclipse could mean. To some it was a bad omen. That was then, when there no science to prove the process and reasons for it. What is surprising is how even today educated people believe in the old norms and beliefs and consider this scientific marvel to be a bad omen.

 

Considering my personal example, my parents could have taken my birth to be a bad omen, as I was a third daughter after my two elde sisters. My mother could have suffered a lot for giving birth to a cursed daughter in the family. Thankfully, my family, though not very educated, was sensible enough to not torture her, and i think it helped that I turned out to be physically and mentally fit.  In fact, as I grew up my father called  me his ‘Lucky Daughter’ as he felt that our life took an upwards turn after my birth.

 

My mother and I may have been lucky these superstitions still exist. Why don’t people accept the change and understand that somethign happening thousands of miles away in the space cannot change the gender of a baby lying in a woman’s womb?

 

This year the solar eclipse was a major event across the world. Millions of people got up early to catch it, the net is flooded with images of the diamond ring and videos of the eclipse. However, this is still the scene in urban India. I hope that by the time it happens the next time the world has progressed enough to take it as another scientific occurance or even as another of god’s creations, rather than a bad omen.

 

Old newspaper cut-out of a solar eclipse some 3 decades ago

 

I am 3 monsoons old

When i first came to Mumbai an ex-colleague told me that in Mumbia people count their year by the number of monsoons they have seen here. So going by that count I am 3 monsoons old now.

My first monsoon was quite an interesting experience. I was just getting the hang of travelling on the local trains and congratulating myself on my success, when the rains hit my side of the world and all hell broke lose. Delayed trains, water-logged roads, perpetual drizzling that gets under your skin after a while and to top it all traffic jams!!! I somehow managed to survive them all. My second monsoons were much better as I was mostly confined to home, thanks to my newly-born baby…muuaaaahhh!! So not much to talk about really…except my mories of sitting by the window with the baby in my arms and rocking him gently while he gazed with wonder at the falling drops of rain!

This year I am 3 monsoons old…and I never thought I’d say it but I actually like it! Yes, I guess I’m turning into a Mumbaikar now. This year I am travelling, wroking, playing with my baby, all in the rains…and this time I don’t mind it so much. I hope I am not speaking too soon…coz its still 3 more months of rain to go! Yes, believe it or not it rains for 4 months here! We Dilliwalas (actually me an ex-Dilliwala) have no idea what a real monsoon is like. You have to be in Mumbai to know it.

I had visited Mumbai some years back in November. When I was oohing and aahing over the beautiful sea-view, a friend had told me I should come here in the monsoons…the sea is wild! After spending 3 monsoons here…I have finally started noticing these small beauties of this city which is so full of life!