When hell broke loose...
The alarm blared at my ears, the birds chirped outside as I woke up to find an overcast morning. Not heeding to mom’s warning about getting late to office, I stood in the balcony not wanting to leave but wanting to stay there and just soak in the light drizzle that had just begun. I was thinking of taking a day off and relishing this moment of tranquility. But after a lot of coaxing from Mom, I gathered my senses and started my usual “20-minute-mad-rush-to-get-ready-and-catch-the-bus” routine. Caught the bus on time (barely!) and waded on in the direction of the office traffic.
The day at work was as usual, a few emails to answer, few lines to code, few documents to update and a few minutes to chat with friends. The time to lunch was uneventful and normal. Post lunch, we went for a game of Carrom and from the window at the Carrom room saw that it was heavily overcast and that it had started pouring, we were elated actually seeing so much rain come down especially after the hot spell we had prior to that day.
Teatime and we noticed that it hadn’t stopped raining, but the fact that it was pouring down more and more. People staying far and relying on trains started worrying about the state of trains especially the Central Railways, which has a history of getting stalled due to water logging at some areas. But others comforted this breed by mentioning the fact that it happens every year and why not this year too! People got back to their work and the office machinery rolled on. And then it happened!! Someone was in the lunchroom and reported that the parking stilt area at Akruti is literally flooded. Few believed, but on further investigation, saw that indeed a few cars were up to their mirrors in water. A comprehensive view of the outdoors revealed that it was now raining cats, dogs, angels and demons, whatever the rain gods could muster. We returned to our work, hoping against hope and praying that all this downpour would stop.
And then all of a sudden, without any warning the networks betrayed us. The e-contact with the outside world was lost, only a few dial ups were now working. The people once again started revolving around the office corridors fetching coffee, biscuits and chatting with one another. A few went up onto the terrace of Akruti. It was only after they returned that the severity of the situation dawned on us. I was thrilled hearing about such heavy rains since I basically am a die-hard “rain fan”. We started going up the stairs (the elevators had stopped and all of Akruti was on the backup generator van, now we know what that army styled giant Green truck does!!) and as we ascended, the reality was before us. Incessant rains with gusty winds, so far I’d only heard it on weather forecasts but that evening I experienced it. Standing there on the terrace, under the makeshift roof which was roaring like a rapid on a river, I saw in front of me a sea of gray, a gray colored horizon, gray skies, gray land, all was gray and dark. Cheering up, we decided on some food, ordered everything on the menu and shared anything and everything edible that was coming our way. There must have been about 20 of us, eating, chatting, happy to be in each other’s company at least. It was now guaranteed by the gods that we couldn’t go home.
The next thing on everyone’s minds was how to while away our time. Everyone dug deep and came out with a host of goodies. Cartoons, Movies, Riddles, Jokes, party games were the order of the day now. We played the game of dumb charades and everyone joined in the laughter, the fun and the companionship that was on display. Elsewhere, there was Antakshari being played, people singing, rhyming, dozing, playing Carrom, trying anxiously to reach their loved ones, it was all happening together. There was bedlam and chaos but not once did anybody panic or got influenced by any rumor. A great show of camaraderie was on and was I glad to be party to it!!
The food arrived late, but arrived for sure from Suncity (Kudos to the HR for that!) It was very well organized, people were hungry but disciplined enough to form a queue and ensure that all went well during dinner. We heard that a school bus had stalled near our office and that the kids were shifted to a few floors below ours. So there again started a procession, led by a few ladies to the school kids ensuring that there was an arrangement of food for them. We carried a few plates just to be sure!
Returning back to office, it was already past midnight and a few shutters were begging to be downed. But we stayed awake in the hope that the rains might recede and that the roads will get cleared, but alas that was not to be. So we just sat there at the reception, all of us from ESC and were sharing a few experiences we had of the rains and of dark (I used to be scared of the dark once!!). I was getting thoughts of the Noah’s Ark and the 40 days 40 nights biblical rainfall. The only difference was that this was an office premises and there was no Noah.
Eight hours of sleep is essential for a sound mind and body, but getting even eight minutes of it was proving difficult. People slept on floors, in cubicles, in conference rooms, on tables. Newspapers proved to be their pillows and blankets. A section of Akruti was also converted into a multiplex where a few movies were on show. People were having a one of a lifetime experience, and despite all the hardships they were enjoying every bit of it.
News had come in that it had rained 900 odd millimeters in a single day, the highest so far, a world record. You could hear sounds of laughter, sounds of agony, sounds of snoring and the sound of rains. After a few winks, I repositioned myself at the reception sofa and caught some shuteye. And then it happened! Like the first dove who set out from the ark and returned with an olive branch, one of us ventured out and returned the call saying the road on the east was clear and that we could move out in batches! And then it all started again, there was an air of activity around, people washing their faces, getting ready to leave and munching on a few eatables. Slowly but surely, they started leaving and thanking heavens for an opportunity to venture out again in the rains and traffic and the flooded roads that would have made any river proud.
The day at work was as usual, a few emails to answer, few lines to code, few documents to update and a few minutes to chat with friends. The time to lunch was uneventful and normal. Post lunch, we went for a game of Carrom and from the window at the Carrom room saw that it was heavily overcast and that it had started pouring, we were elated actually seeing so much rain come down especially after the hot spell we had prior to that day.
Teatime and we noticed that it hadn’t stopped raining, but the fact that it was pouring down more and more. People staying far and relying on trains started worrying about the state of trains especially the Central Railways, which has a history of getting stalled due to water logging at some areas. But others comforted this breed by mentioning the fact that it happens every year and why not this year too! People got back to their work and the office machinery rolled on. And then it happened!! Someone was in the lunchroom and reported that the parking stilt area at Akruti is literally flooded. Few believed, but on further investigation, saw that indeed a few cars were up to their mirrors in water. A comprehensive view of the outdoors revealed that it was now raining cats, dogs, angels and demons, whatever the rain gods could muster. We returned to our work, hoping against hope and praying that all this downpour would stop.
And then all of a sudden, without any warning the networks betrayed us. The e-contact with the outside world was lost, only a few dial ups were now working. The people once again started revolving around the office corridors fetching coffee, biscuits and chatting with one another. A few went up onto the terrace of Akruti. It was only after they returned that the severity of the situation dawned on us. I was thrilled hearing about such heavy rains since I basically am a die-hard “rain fan”. We started going up the stairs (the elevators had stopped and all of Akruti was on the backup generator van, now we know what that army styled giant Green truck does!!) and as we ascended, the reality was before us. Incessant rains with gusty winds, so far I’d only heard it on weather forecasts but that evening I experienced it. Standing there on the terrace, under the makeshift roof which was roaring like a rapid on a river, I saw in front of me a sea of gray, a gray colored horizon, gray skies, gray land, all was gray and dark. Cheering up, we decided on some food, ordered everything on the menu and shared anything and everything edible that was coming our way. There must have been about 20 of us, eating, chatting, happy to be in each other’s company at least. It was now guaranteed by the gods that we couldn’t go home.
The next thing on everyone’s minds was how to while away our time. Everyone dug deep and came out with a host of goodies. Cartoons, Movies, Riddles, Jokes, party games were the order of the day now. We played the game of dumb charades and everyone joined in the laughter, the fun and the companionship that was on display. Elsewhere, there was Antakshari being played, people singing, rhyming, dozing, playing Carrom, trying anxiously to reach their loved ones, it was all happening together. There was bedlam and chaos but not once did anybody panic or got influenced by any rumor. A great show of camaraderie was on and was I glad to be party to it!!
The food arrived late, but arrived for sure from Suncity (Kudos to the HR for that!) It was very well organized, people were hungry but disciplined enough to form a queue and ensure that all went well during dinner. We heard that a school bus had stalled near our office and that the kids were shifted to a few floors below ours. So there again started a procession, led by a few ladies to the school kids ensuring that there was an arrangement of food for them. We carried a few plates just to be sure!
Returning back to office, it was already past midnight and a few shutters were begging to be downed. But we stayed awake in the hope that the rains might recede and that the roads will get cleared, but alas that was not to be. So we just sat there at the reception, all of us from ESC and were sharing a few experiences we had of the rains and of dark (I used to be scared of the dark once!!). I was getting thoughts of the Noah’s Ark and the 40 days 40 nights biblical rainfall. The only difference was that this was an office premises and there was no Noah.
Eight hours of sleep is essential for a sound mind and body, but getting even eight minutes of it was proving difficult. People slept on floors, in cubicles, in conference rooms, on tables. Newspapers proved to be their pillows and blankets. A section of Akruti was also converted into a multiplex where a few movies were on show. People were having a one of a lifetime experience, and despite all the hardships they were enjoying every bit of it.
News had come in that it had rained 900 odd millimeters in a single day, the highest so far, a world record. You could hear sounds of laughter, sounds of agony, sounds of snoring and the sound of rains. After a few winks, I repositioned myself at the reception sofa and caught some shuteye. And then it happened! Like the first dove who set out from the ark and returned with an olive branch, one of us ventured out and returned the call saying the road on the east was clear and that we could move out in batches! And then it all started again, there was an air of activity around, people washing their faces, getting ready to leave and munching on a few eatables. Slowly but surely, they started leaving and thanking heavens for an opportunity to venture out again in the rains and traffic and the flooded roads that would have made any river proud.
I was one of the last people to leave office that morning. When I started out, the entire office stood out, a dark empty space staring at me. This time though, I wasn’t afraid, I just stood there and the past 12 hours came back rushing to me, people bustling about, shouting, screaming, and running. I was glad and thankful to have experienced such a once in a lifetime event and of the camaraderie that was shown that night. Hats off to it and to all Atos Originals who braved the weather and the subsequent journey back home!!
posted by Rohan @ 19:52
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