The Storm

I recently realized that I have a lot in common with my favorite radio host, the King of Conservatism, Rush Limbaugh. Now even though Rush and I have our differences, such as me believing that global warming is real and that disillusioned soldiers who fought in Iraq shouldn't be called "phony soldiers", our basic mission to the American people is very similar. When Hillary Clinton "the femiNazi" and Barack Osama go to the podium to introduce some new liberalist fatwa, Rush makes the claim on his radio show that he will "listen to them and report the truth so that the American people don't have to." Very similarly, I, Amit Dixit, stand before my American brothers and sisters to report the truth about the monsoons here in Mumbai which have started to consume our lives.

The rain that pours down is unbelievable. I am certain that few people are as strong sleepers as I am, having slept through alarm clocks countless times. Nonetheless, during the monsoon season, I doubt any Mumbaian is able to register the standard 8 hours of sleep through the incredible storms.

We have snow days in America, Indians have rain days.

The other day I was on my way home from work and I got to experience my first flood-expedition. Not a pleasant experience. At least it isn't like 2005, when Mumbai had amassed 100 cm (3.28 ft) of precipitation in 24 hours. Media reports indicated that at least 1000 people had died as a result. People in the city say that they could see stray animals "surfing" that day. I'd love to have built a raft and rowed in this.

But you know what the most interesting point in this water mess is? People in Mumbai need it.

In a world where water supply is constantly dwindling and most of the people don't have access to good water as regularly as we Americans do, the people in Mumbai depend on the rainfall to survive. At a time when I will look out the window and say, "Shit, it's raining," the general consensus in the office will be, "Finally, it's raining." In the suburb of Powai where I'm living, the residents live off the water of the local Powai Lake, which supports them as well as a large portion of Mumbai. Every year the volume of the lake shrinks by about half from it's post-monsoon size of the previous year and the rains replenish the water supply.

I don't know of many people who are big fans of rain back home. And to be perfectly honest, right now I'd keep writing but given my adapting to the Indian lifestyle since I've been here, I'm going to go play in the rain with everybody else.