During this monsoon season in Mumbai (India) the rains drove everyone crazy literally, flooding streets and paralyzing road, air and train services. On 29 August 2017, it had been raining since morning yet I thought that the rains might recede, so I stepped out of my house to visit the hair salon at Juhu. During my ride from home to the salon, I noticed some water logging at some areas in the city. Light showers of the rain water were touching me through the open Mumbai Autorickshaws (similar to Tuk Tuk in Thailand). I was enjoying this short ride and pleasant climate which is the opposite of the weather in Oman at this time of the year. I was unaware of how bad the rains could get in the hour and a half that I spent at the parlour. When the hairdresser finished blow drying my hair, I received a call from my brother (Jaydeep Doshi) informing me that the train services had been stopped and that he may spend the night at his office. I went out looking for an auto rickshaw to take me home, but by then it was raining cats and dogs and the roads in Juhu near Amitabh Bachchan's house were completely water-logged. I tried to walk in the rains to find help but could see vehicles drowning in the rains and barely any cabs or auto rickshaws. During such times, the cab service of OLA and UBER were completely unavailable.
I finally managed to reach my cousins friend's Pooja Bhartia home by walking in the knee deep waters. While I sat at Pooja's house sipping chai and munching on a sandwich and homemade bhujia, people on the roads were struggling to reach home. As the rains receded, my cousins Niraj Doshi and Karan Doshi came to pick me and I finally reached home. My little adventure ended on a happy note. My brother Jaydeep had his own little and rather dangerous adventure when he travelled from Thane to Charkop on his friend's Enfield Bullet Motorbike, which is around 18 miles, in these crazy rains, "enjoying the green mountains and the rains" (these are my brother's words). He reached home safely the next day when the trains started.
In these beautiful yet crazy rains, some people were enjoying their chai with bhajias and pakoras, some were looking for transport to get home or a roof to take shelter from the rains. Yet, the city of Mumbai always comes alive during such emergency situations with its amazing spirit of brotherhood. People were standing in groups near the open manholes to warn the people walking on the roads, human chains were being formed on the roads, hostels and vada pav sellers were offering free food, water and shelter to the distressed people. That is why I love Mumbai and am proud to be a Mumbaikar because no matter how busy and crazy this city drives you, it has a heart ❤️ of its own.
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