Verdah & After

Finally the internet is back on track. I get in touch with the outside world like a hungry child devouring a chocolate. So cyclone Verdah came and was knocking persistently against all our doors. Chennai had just regained itself from the terrible nightmare and again fell head on with another one. This I feel is how usually life is, you tend to think that all is well and suddenly everything falls like a pack of dominos. I have witnessed two cyclones since I settled in Chennai, one as soon as I was married and the second just recently. Both were very scary and caused a lot of damage and in both G was abroad.

2011 - Chennai

G: I heard that there is a cyclone coming your way, its better you stay indoors. It can become quite terrible. There is also a news of a tornado hitting us here in US

Me: That’s terrible, please be safe and stock yourself. I hope this passes way soon. I have never witnessed a cyclone before.

G: I have in Vishakhapatnam and it is quite scary actually. In north of course you won’t have one.

Me: I have work though, they haven’t declared a holiday yet. My work place will be the last to give a holiday!

G: Well even if they don’t, I would advise you take off that day.

The cyclone was terrible that day, I had never seen so much destruction so quickly. There were trees fallen everywhere and cars and houses broken. It was a blessing that the coconut tree outside our house was standing firmly.

G had the tornado hitting them and he was stuck inside his hotel room with no power supply. We on the other hand had no electricity and water. I had to request a shop nearby to allow me to charge my phone. It was the first time I felt helpless, we had to wait for the city to regain itself. It was summer time then and with the radio updating us with the current news. That day I realized that daily necessities that we take for granted are very vital.

G: Do you know that mostly tornados have female names

Me: Really? Why, they cause so much destruction!

G: Precisely! LOL! I am just kidding. I am as inquisitive as you are. But it is true! The names work on a rotation basis though.

Me: Well I returned from the workplace early, you know there was a tsunami alert going on as well, so we had half day off to return home. If there actually did came a tsunami, my workplace would be the first to disappear its on the beach coast! So I was returning home and I notices lots of people queuing up on the beach

G: I thought City was in alert for tsunami? 

Me: Wouldn't you think that people will have more sense to stay indoors, but no they wanted to see tsunami up close! Really I tell you people are crazy! They had to call the police to vacate the beach.

2016 – Chennai

After the demonetization and the demise of the Iron lady, the city already was trying to cope up with everything when the cyclone acted as an uninvited guest who destroyed what was left. We were cooped in the house while it rattled outside, the tiles of our Kerala style roof was breaking the windows of our neighbors. It was chaotic and the few hours that it lasted, felt like hours. The morning after, we were greeted with no electricity, fallen trees, roof and a lot of devastation. It overwhelmed me to see the city again face its wrath against nature but then it picked up its pieces and celebrated ‘Karthigai’(South Indian festival) with lights and crackers. That is to show that even in the darkness we can find light, if we know where to look.

G: how is everything now? I have been trying to contact you for a while now, thank god for the landline. I am able to communicate

Me: Are you sure, you don’t get premonitions about natural disasters?

G: Why do you ask?

Me: Well you escaped the last cyclone and this one too! So was wondering…..

 G:*Laughing* Unfortunately I have no such powers.

Me: Well we are getting no network, the generator is running so thank god for that, I went to the vegetable market and thanks to the current money issue, there is no ATM which is working and we can’t swipe cards, only cash. The vendor was kind enough to say that I could pay him later but thankfully I had enough for the day. It’s is a terrible time for this cyclone.

G: That’s awful, so when did they say that the electricity will be back

Me: It will take round a week and also the telephone networks and internet is gone. But thankfully we did not face any damage!

G: Well don’t worry before you know it, everything will be working again.

3 days later …..

G: So how is the situation now?

Me*angrily*: I am aware of every passing minute and it’s still the same! No power, no internet and no network.

There is a lot to learn from situations like this, there is always hope and we can turn things around. Soon people will forget about this and move on, this is how life works. We have new things entering our lives and the old ones becomes memories, some stay with us and others we let go.