Chennai rains: Life continues in the waterworld

Chennai: No Chennaiite may have witnessed a deluge like this in his lifetime. The 300 mm rain in a day is record breaking figure in the Don Bradman class, so too 20,000 cusecs or more flowing out of Poondi reservoir and Chembarambakkam lake at a time.

Ironically, there was a smidgen of sunshine on Wednesday morning as opposed to the pitch darkness at the supposed dawn of terrible Tuesday which succeeded the manic Monday of the previous week.

Helicopters had to drop food packets for some of the hapless marooned. A few provisions — dosai batter seemed a particular favourite of housewives — some bread and fruit juice were treasures that we sought. The foolishness of assumptions of normality was soon proved as I opened my purse to a princely sum of Rs 100 while the bill was Rs 310.

Chennai was floating and suddenly we were transported to scenes out of Waterworld, Kevin Costner’s expensive flop. The misery of people in a sinking Chennai came in waves as if in a sequence from that wet movie. But then the comfort of our lives even in these difficult times seemed unfair while thousands suffered.