In the middle of the week - Wednesday

Rains battering the west coast of India have thrown lives out of gear. City of Mumbai is paralyzed and life inundated. Forces and fury of nature can’t be controlled, but the truth is that nothing is in our hands though our ego says everything is in my control. Weather in Chennai is really cool since start of July. Sun has turned very friendly and temperatures in the lower 30’s during the day and in the lower 20’s during the night. Moisture laden clouds painting the deep blue sky grey have turned the warm city in a cool one. You can walk around without an umbrella and a hanky, but rain may catch you unaware and unprepared.

River Cauvery is the only source of water for farmers in the delta region and without water it would mean living in hell. State of Karnataka shares water with Tamilnadu. The concept of share and live together is lost today. We’ve all become self centered and narrow minded. Over the past decade without much rain in the catchments lot of fight has brewed but nothing transpired from legal pleadings. We’ve seen people immolating and committing suicide by jumping in the reservoirs. Poverty has a strong hold on human minds and emotions. In those days when monsoon used to be regular and timely, river Cauvery would bring water during the month of Aadi without fail. The famous proverb “Aadi pattam thedi vithai” sow in the month of July was true then. Paddy (Rice), sugarcane, Banana cultivation would begin the moment water arrives in the delta region. Gone are those days when they used to have elephants were engaged to beat the paddy of the plant. Don’t we all know the reasons for change in climate, living conditions? But over the past decade due to untimely, deficit rainfall lush green paddy fields have turned into deserts and so the faces and lives of the farmers, deserted with tears and fears.

Thanks to Mother Nature, this year the states were preparing to get into a similar brawl but then nature decided to intervene with copious rain in the catchments compelling the State of Karnataka to release water from the fear of overflowing river and exploding dam. A lot of cheer and happiness has returned to the deserted faces in the delta. I repeat again “Forces and fury of nature can’t be controlled, but the truth is that nothing is in our hands though our ego says everything is in my control.”