As the Cyclone Nila struck my hometown Chennai and everyone
my age- you know the school going age?- celebrated a free holiday at home, I was
forced to go to work. This is because of my hospital's emergency/disaster management
policy, which consists of a simple phrase- put ganesh on-duty. So I had to make
my way through the rains and the wind and the empty streets to do my- duty is duty. I actually
enjoyed the journey, as the bus I took to work today, while going through the
streets resembled a boat floating on the waters. As I hung onto the last step of the bus (called foot-boarding),
every wave which sloshed up the steps of the bus, wet my ankles and my sandals
giving me a feeling of being at the beach. I had previously rolled up my
trouser legs to prevent it getting wet and as I also wore all black to prevent
any accidental splashing by passing cars, I must have looked a strange and
bedraggled sight by the time I reached my work place.
Thankfully, work was a total hoot today. There were no
patients around all day. I mean who in the right minds would come to visit a
hospital in the midst of a cyclone? I spent most of my time online giving regular
updates on my joblessness. Also feeling a little like I was in the middle of a
vampire movie. Its Halloween, I am sitting all alone in a dark, empty room, the
winds and rains lashing around, all perfectly like in a horror movie. I was looking forward to a vampire jumping out
any minute to attack me and was hoping that it would also be a female vampire asking
me “can I drink your blood, sweetie”? and I would go on to say “you may not you foul
thing, I just donated a pint last week, so go to the blood bank if you need a
drink that bad”. Well, imagination, you know, runs riot when you have nothing
much to do, or no one to talk to.
Anyway, at two pm when my duty time was over a nurse rushed
over with the glad news that the govt had announced a holiday for the rest of
the day starting from 3pm. And I made my home. And here comes the interesting
part. On my way back, the rain had abated a little because of what they call
the eye of the storm being nearby which means lesser rains and more winds. The wind
was blowing, really blowing, hard at everything, pushing me back as I walked forward.
For a minute I felt like that scene from the movie Nayagan where Kamalhassan
walks into the water spray being directed at him by the villain. Anyhow with all
that wind around, the thing I was hoping to see did not happen. Yes ladies and
gentlemen, it was perfect skirt-lifting weather. But were there any skirts
around? None. It seems not a single Chennai girl was inclined to have her
own Marilyn Monroe moment. You missed it, you poor girls. Now you have to wait
till next year for the same weather.
The Pics below will tell the story better of what I expected
and what I really saw today:
