The northeast monsoon is causing much havoc among the sun-capped denizens of Namma Chennai. The met dept had predicted that the rains would subside after the initial few days of downpour, but yet again, they have been proven wrong. That too in an almighty way.
Normally in Chennai, the 3 best indicators of the intensity of rains are :
1) the mixing of sewage with the relatively pristine waters
2) the diameters of the craters formed on the Chennai roads
3) the auto fare.
Residents have had to put with the innumerable suffering brought upon them by the poor design of roads, while the government is claiming credit for the so called storm water drainage system. Newspapers are awash with pictures and related public outcry on the sewage water seeping into their households. Since the onset of these rains, I have had to navigate around daily addition of new potholes. Enough said about the toll linking roads; just makes us wonder how on earth, newly minted roads turn so tricky after a heavy downpour. Auto drivers' suddenly show a heightened sense of social awareness by reducing the fare from 200 to 150 ( on a normal day, it would have cost 50 ) and talk so much about the risk they undertake to ferry us across the dangerous waters to the safe harbors.
Gone are those days when we used to just take out the bike for a zip in the rains; there arent many proper roads to enjoy the steady stream of rain, with the focus now more on avoiding the pitfalls that wait in ambush under the murky waters.
P.S: The accompanying pic looked good, and was more of a foreboding of heavy rain in Chennai, than the rain itself.
