Deluge-II

0812 hours

The 9th of Sept dawned bright and clear. Just a rhetorical statement as the sunup would not be at this hour. A thumping on the door woke me up. Opened the door, stepped out and …..opened my mouth in amazement. The whole compound was flooded. The water level was about a foot. And another thing attracted my attention.Ants,thousands of them of at least a dozen species were evacuating their nests. That place would have been a naturalist’s delight. Even to my untrained computer engineer’s eyes, I could identify at least 50 species of insects ranging from slugs to earthworms to grasshoppers.

After a quick breakfast the evacuation started with gusto.Clothes,computer ,went up.All the other odds and ends,even my wristwatch and mobile went into my trunk.This last bit I was to regret later .I made atleast a dozen trips to the higher floors and wading through progressively increasing water levels.I got bitten about four times by red ants.Almost stepped on a wiggling snake when I was taking the monitor up and could not see where I was going.And I think I made a discovery that day.Saw maybe four or five hybrids of snakes and lizards.They move like snakes but have four sets of legs like lizards. Color black and as long as 8 inches. I like to think of them as some sort of missing link. But that is probably a load of hooey. And what made the task more hazardous was that if you brushed the walls there was a danger of something plunging in their stinger. Thankfully nothing serious happened.Tne books and other things I left in the loft of my room. Don’t know where I got the strength but single handedly carried up my hold all and trunk, each weighing about 20 kilos to the first floor. I think my technique, which I call the coolie lift did the trick !!You see I spend my spare time at railway platforms watching coolies carry impossibly heavy loads. They don’t have the strength of a Bhim.

This whole op lasted about 3 hours.Meanwhile the mess was shifted to the first floor and the news brought some relief.The terrace was the favorite haunt now and there was no dry patch to be seen.900000 cusecs of water had been released from the dam and that night was full moon.So due to high tide in the sea this extra water would inundate more areas and the SMC were warning us about the water level being up 20 feet in some areas through sms.This freaked us out and we could forsee our future in a refugee camp.Some folks who lived nearby ,aleady braving the thigh deep water decided to leave while it was possible.But we lived 3000 km away.

1230 hours

The lunch bell rang and that was the sweetest music to our ears.Long lines snaked to the serving area and man oh man, did I ever get to eat so tasty food.It was only daal,dry fried mashed potatoes and steaming rice,but felt like manna from heaven to us.Predictably nobody bitched about the food.This restored our moods considerably and we looked at things with a more rosier view.I started reading ”Is Paris Burning?’

1400 hours

An outcry drew my attention outside.Asked one of the fellas what the hell was it.Turned out that the front gate was chest deep and Surat station was about to be flooded.The only hope was to go by the back gate where the waters were thigh up and make our way to a little station 15 minutes from Surat.Any train could be the last train as water could inundate tracks suddenly.Decided to abandon the sinking ship,as it were.I grabbed a tee and a pair of shorts.Could not even wear my watch or take the cell.On a wing and a prayer we set out,with no final idea as to our destination.

We struggled and trudged through swirling waters and eddies which threatened to sweep us off our feet.Finally reached the station and after some discussions decided to go Baroda.The situation there was better.Reached Baroda about three hours later in a general coach.A friend’s empty house was to be our digs for the night.Washed and scrubbed as if my life ….err skin depended on it .Dinner was at another friend’s place where it was decided that the best place would be home sweet home. Slept quite soundly .It really had been a long day. (End of part II)