Leaflets From My Life - 26th July 2005 Mumbai floods 1 Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Though sixteen years have passed by,
I still cannot erase from my memory,
The floods that came in like a Tsunami wave
On 26th July 2005 into Mumbai.
It's a date unforgettable!
Those who have experienced the 2005 floods,
Would comprehend its fierce intensity and
The severe destruction caused by its raging waters.

Until and unless a frightening experience hits you,
You think of it as a distant happening!
On 26th July, the rains came pouring down like never before,
Perhaps, the Gods were angry with the city and its people.
There was no stopping of rains that day.
It poured and poured with vengeance!
By noon, there were pools, puddles and ponds of water.
The drain pipes across the city were all clogged and blocked.

I was at home writing and typing into my computer.
My husband had come home for lunch from his office,
He had an uncanny sense of perception,
He waited for the rains to subside. But it never did. Instead,
The rains intensified and splashed down with heavy thuds
Luckily, our daughter, had reached her Newspaper office,
In the main city that she had joined, just three months ago.
We were happy that she was safe in her surroundings.

As we stayed on the ground floor of the building,
We could see the level of the water rising in our compound.
Suddenly, like a storm rushing in lightning speed,
Huge waves of water came rushing through our windows
And fountains of water rose up from the pipes and drains.
We realised we were standing in deep waters, soaked too.
There was no time to think. We just picked up the keys and ran out.
My husband and I, hastened up the stairs to take refuge in our friend's house above.

An Autobiographical Poem