The Word View: Enjoy the rain, but keep your surroundings clean

A wet Chennai is quite a rare sight through the year, but somehow for the past two years when November arrives, we have witnessed a drenched Chennai. The city’s weatherman seems to be a happy man with his followers increasing at a rocket pace, thanks to his accurate predictions. Also not to forget all the very happy kids who have been profusely thanking the rain gods for the week-long holiday.
The view from my balcony is lovely — a dewy city with happy trees, foggy winds and cloudy skies. Just as I was absorbing this beautiful image, I happen to look down. Clogged traffic, hip-deep water-logged roads, honking vehicles, garbage floating all over. This was the hard reality. Cities, throughout the year, face their share of wrath of the rains. The end of this year seems to be Chennai’s turn. The beauty of how life functions is that no matter how big the downpour or how bad the roads, people are out there doing their jobs. Life goes on. I happen to see a picture of a bus driver driving his bus holding an umbrella to stay dry from the leaking top. Now this is multitasking or what! I even heard Ola was getting their boat section in place if the rains persist.
No matter how much we crib and complain, we have to agree that the city and its people never let anything deter their spirit. Now we need to be smart, too. We have to wake up and make the most of what these rains give us. Saving rain water is the solution to many problems that we face in this city, and each one of us has a role to play in this. As much as the rain brings water and weather relief, it also brings most of the illness too. The clogged drains and water logs are welcoming breeding places for all types of mosquitoes. I understand we cannot go around personally clearing roads. What we could do is to keep our homes and the places surrounding our homes away from this kind of a scenario. Each of us playing our part makes a world of a difference in the bigger picture. Eat safe, stay dry and enjoy the rain!
(The views expressed above are the writer's own)
The word view by dancer, director, author, Aishwaryaa R Dhanush dons many hats, and here she is, our columnist, too!