2000 Years Old Tweets ~ Chapter 2 ~ Greatness of Rain ~ Kural #2
The monsoon has finally arrived in Chennai. Instead of heaving a sigh of relief (most of the water bodies that supply water to Chennai residents have more or less dried up), Chennaiites have overnight started cursing the intermittent showers due to the following reasons (minimum list, of course)...
- Diwali shopping - It's hard to imagine how pretty much an entire city goes bonkers & try to shop during just a week before Diwali - the traffic in many commercial zones have already gone beyond unbearable!
- Roads - Or whatever is left of them. Change in governments don't matter. Change of Mayor doesn't matter. Nothing seems to matter when it comes to the condition of Chennai roads - especially during monsoon. All those who are dreaming about migrating to Mars are most welcome to do their terrain training in Chennai. This November is highly recommended as the best time for superior survival experience!
- Diwali itself - kids are going to be very upset if it rains cats & dogs on Diwali day; fathers are going to be very very upset because the great deal they got on Chinese crackers will be wasted; mothers are going to be extremely upset as they can't visit near & dear to show off their new design saree or churidhar they got by swimming in the human ocean at one of the top 3 destinations - Saravana Stores, Pothy's (all Kamalhaasan fans are going there by default this year & also wear the dress bought there for the 1st show of his next movie தூங்காவனம் :O) & Chennai Silks. Since 2 of the 3 are located in Velachery now, Swamy is so relieved that he chose to move out to Pallikkaranai 4 years ago (exactly a day after Deepavali - talk about timing ;)
And while it continues to rain, cooling a parched earth but raising the temper(ature) of yet-to-do-Diwali-shopping-just-in-time-for-Diwali families, there's so much more comic relief on Chennai roads, including but certainly not limited to...
- Parking the bike wherever it started pouring & hiding under bus shelters, flyovers & shop entrances - if you are in a car & bewildered as to how there can be a traffic jam in pouring rain, that too on a highway, all you need to do is look around & above for a circular flyover (a notorious design that's present pretty much all over the city, where everyone takes a turn but no one waits for anyone creating a logjam every now & then), because it's guaranteed that a 106 motorists would've abandoned their motorcycles on the road & hiding right under the flyover :O
- Pillion rider holding an umbrella over the rider's head - it's not just ridiculous but extremely dangerous, so it's certainly not hilarious, at all. But when you see it - again and again and again, the only thing one can do is LoL :D
- Not venturing out in rain, at all - it's really funny that anyone who can ride a two wheeler is perfectly fine riding out in blazing sun (which is a little over 11.5 months in Chennai), that too without a helmet to cover the only head s/he has got. But the same stupid person isn't ready to venture out riding in the rain, despite the scientific fact that about 74% if a person's body content is................................................................ just water! BAU Humbug :{}
Jokes apart, it would be interesting to know what Valluavar got to say about this truly enchanting but apparently bewildering - especially for the hilarious species called humans - thing called Rain!
19 தானம் தவமிரண்டும் தங்கா வியனுலகம்
வானம் வழங்கா தெனின்.
Without rain, benevolence (giving) & penance (realization) will cease.
Oh, now we get it! People hate rain because giving & realization (which are supposed to elevate their miserable lives to an altogether different level) already ceased to exist. Ah, humans :(
@PrakashSwamy
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P.S: If, like Swamy, you're also enchanted by the amazing natural phenomenon called rain (or even if you aren't yet), do enjoy his blog post exclusively about it ~ Rainchanted!
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Note: This post is part of Swamy's blog series on the epic book of Tamil poetry Thirukkural, thought to be written over 2000 years ago by the poet ThiruValluvar, in an enchanting Tweet long couplet format, which is amazingly relevant even in the digital space of today!
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Be Joyful & Spread the Cheer :)
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