The recent Covid pandemic has again brought Mumbai to its knees. By cutting the lifeline of Mumbai - the local trains. The local trains have been known to run faithfully for over a century, I think, save for once every decade when record breaking rains bring Mumbai to its knees. The trains are known to run 24 hours, day in and day out, weekend and week days, holiday or no holiday. It brings the loyal Mumbai workforce from far flung residential colonies in satellite towns to the heart of Mumbai.
When I was in Mumbai we had record breaking rains in the months of June and July that again brought Mumbai to a standstill. But not reporting to work was like a sin. My co-employees from Mumbai still reached the nearest railway station and as far down south by train as possible in spite of the waters reaching dangerous levels. And then they Whatsapped their precise location, with a note that they could not proceed any further and were returning - or still stuck up! That is the legendary Mumbai spirit! This was also true of the residents in the co-operative flat that I stayed in. One proud father was heard boasting how far down south her daughter was able to go and still report to office, the last stop before the rails were completely submerged at Sion, and again at Parel.
No wonder that when Amazon decided to open its Landing zone for their AWS platform that has to run in spite of any calamity, natural or man made, they chose Mumbai! And maybe it is this spirit of Mumbai and its workforce that makes many corporations to make Mumbai their headquarters in spite of overcrowding and soaring real estate prices.
The rains made Mumbai roads and everything else very filthy. I had to wade through knee deep evil looking water that was full of grime, mud, petrol and disintegrating tar to reach the bus stop or auto stand to get to the nearest railway station and switch from shoes to flippers. The auto guys still ran without complaining or raising their fares but they were limited by the intensity of the rain as the vehicle would lose control once the water rose above the wheels.
The trains made a sound similar to a rainstorm approaching as they approached the railway station and suddenly braked, and then departed in a couple of seconds. It was the same sound the rains made when they started pouring day in and day out for weeks. I usually welcome the sound of rain, but that experience made me nervous at hearing that very sound as the rain turned into a deluge almost half submerging my Activa and almost all the parked cars in the locality up to the foot board. It was like Mumbai was an island in the middle of the sea with occasional squalls passing over it.
Clothes get damp and start rotting, walls start leaking, big patches appear on the walls, the rooms have a musty smell. No wonder the millionaire Gujrati businessmen wear cheap cotton T shirts and sandals and carry moldy leather wallets in monsoon. I was glad when the rains finally stopped.
Today the Covid situation has put a stop to the locals and brought Mumbai to its knees again. I can very well imagine the agony of the average faithful Mumbai office-goer with that legendary Mumbai spirit for not being able to turn up at office!
