If you were an Indian and a Chennaite who lived in Chennai, last week would have been a tough one when compared to the others.The reason being, the recent Mumbai blasts which shook the country and the Chennai rains.Well, enough information was already given by a thousand people including the media about the blasts. So, nothing much to discuss about it here.I was watching the media-game(news delivered in X,Y,Zee channels here in India) during these crisis.
Mumbai blasts - I was almost glued to my seat watching NDTV 24/7 interview popular faces to comment upon the blasts.One such person was eminent cricket personality Harsha Bogle. I was stunned to hear him speak about the blasts. Well, he spoke absolutely what many positive-minds would think at the moment. He showered his anger rightly and expressed very boldly what many of us felt(I am sorry, I don't have the video clip here). He also mentioned about a politician, who had initially commented about going for a bandh due to the blasts. Harsha asked rightly if that was necessary. I was happy about NDTV for relaying bold interviews(which was not biased and politically favorable).
The entire country's anger turned towards politicians. But my question is, 'how long will this anger last?' A week? Or till another flash news appears in TV channels? People tend to forget and move on... If we had corrected from our(the country's) previous mistakes such mishaps would not have occurred or rather the intensity would have been less!
Chennai Water-logging - Another calamity or rather the nature's winter hobby was, the Chennai rains last week. Well, we had enough of it! Few months back I heard that a 'Maha-Yaagam'(a Hindu custom or rather a mode of prayer offered by many people, at a time, in a common place; each one them litting fire separately and chanting mantras - Well, that's my definition, and not from Wiki!) was performed in Thiruvanmiyur,here in Chennai, praying for rains this year, as it was almost dry even during the end of September.And guess what,rains started immediately the day next of the 'Yaagam'. A friend of mine commented sarcastically that, it was the smoke which arouse during the 'Yaagam' that travelled across creating clouds which caused the rains.Again, that might rise a new controversy of , belief and atheism which I am not getting into.
Coming back to last week, it rained madly in Chennai. There was water, water everywhere, no single drop to drink! Apart from sea-water, the phrase went well with the massive water-logging on Chennai roads. Not just T Nagar or Velachery (the usual low-lying areas where one can see muddy lakes during rains), but even the so called protected and sophisticated 'creamy layered zones' was hit badly by the rains. In one of the local FM radio channels (Radio City precisely), 'Neeya Naana' fame Gopinath had mentioned a point about it which I felt was valid...
Gopi had asked opinion from the public shooting a question which was like this: "Chennai experiences heavy water-logging during rains which even affects normal life. Every year we record higher and higher cms of rain all around Chennai. If that is the case, then why do we fight for water in summer? Why are we not saving the water during rains? Are we lacking enough infrastructure for the same?" The questions he normally asks people are not biased and are direct. Well, I am sure that would have made a thousand people think, including me. Media does help building a better society!
