Rainy day heroes

No one had told them about it. But it seemed that the Western railways now terminated into the sea. Muddy waters full of the entire years dirt swirled around their ankles as the two girls decided to get off. It was better than sitting hungry inside the train compartment, squelched between grumblers and the overenthusiastic ‘antakshari’ players.

“What time is it? Seems like mid-night,” Minal grumbled hiking her expensive white jeans.

“You look good in those tights. It’s shining like a ray of hope,” Vamsi pointed out.

“Not everyone is as sensible as you. We are going to fall into a hole anytime now…”

“There are no holes in railway tracks. Once we get off the tracks, let’s find a good long stick,” Vamsi shouted back scanning the bleak horizon. Think rain shrouded much of their vision. What was visible was in grayscale…

“We should reach Bandra anytime now…” Vamsi said bravely, wondering if either of them had a clue as to what they were doing or where they were headed.

Minal looked grim, “We need a boat…not a vehicle…”

“A very big boat…” Vamsi said, looking at the number of people ahead, walking on the railway tracks…

Conversation was suspended as the rain pelted the size of pebbles. “May be this is god’s way of cleaning up this dirty stinking city…” Vamsi thought, picking her way through the rough rocks that lay between the tracks of the train. Following the train tracks would definitely get them to the next station. From there they would try to make it by road. If vehicles could ply on roads filled with knee deep water….

The people were like zombies, the walking dead, just placing one foot in front of another. They never thought about the difficulty they were going through, because that would only make them panic.

“I am going to take a week’s leave and drink tea and eat onion pakora at home…” Vamsi said determined to get home by any means possible that night. Her parents at home would be worried. The mobile network was down for the past 2 hours. Her home was only a matter of another 5 kilometers – a distance she would have never imagined walking...especially not in murky waters, with thunderous rain pouring down and a treacherous umbrella in hand.

“Do you think there are some sharks in these waters?” Minal had just watched a rerun of “Jaws” recently.

“Sharks? No! Flesh eating Piranhas…definitely!” Vamsi made an eating gesture with her fingers.

“Haha..so funny,” Minal made a face. Vamsi didn’t see it because, just then, the lights went out completely. In the impenetrable darkness, the girls held on fast. It seemed like they had come to the end of the world…right there on the Bandra East bridge.

“Let me use my mobile,” Vamsi said almost into Minal’s ears. The weak white light from the mobile gave them courage to move on. Others too seemed to have got the same idea, small spots of light turned up randomly. The procession looked like a candlelight movement for peace.

Someone screamed and a bolt of lightning seemed to strike. A fellow-zombie-walker-in-the-rain had been electrocuted. Shouting indicated that they should move off the tracks into safer-but-still-murky waters to the right. They followed the crowd and suddenly found a sloppy wet hand – handing them a thick rope. Vamsi took it, clinging on to Minal with the other hand. She couldn’t imagine being left alone, on a night like this.
They walked, following the rope…

They passed by innumerable vehicles stuck in the gutter or manholes. People in buses had decided to climb up to the roof rather than sit inside on waterlogged seats.
“What chaos!” Minal shouted…

“Hey look! There are some people stuck in a car...” Vamsi pointed out. Inside a large car, the three occupants hammered the glass windows. Others were trying without success to break the glass from outside.

“They are stuck in the car! They are not able to roll down the window or open the door to get out. The windows are bullet proof too, “ a bystander explained to anyone who would listen.

“Oh my god…they will suffocate inside!” Minal shuddered.

“Let’s move ahead, they have a lot of people helping already…” Vamsi said. It was good that they did. They found an old man who had fallen into a pot hole full of water. The girls helped him out of the ditch and to the nearest building where people came out to help. They provided the girls with some biscuits and a glass of water.

Vamsi and Minal reached Vamsi’s home at 2 in the morning, after a walk of 5 hours. Minal’s house was about 13 kilometers further on, so she wisely decided to stay on at Vamsi’s still the floods receded and normalcy returned.

Secret heroes, stories of courage and a night to remember – were all made that night. Vamsi and Minal were only mythical two of the thousands of real people who were caught in the thunderstorm - 26th July. This story is dedicated to each one of those secret heroes.