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Monsoon musings
ONLY A week ago levity had as much chance in Chennai as snow in hell. The rains simply gummed up all instruments of humour. Now that the Sun God is in the catbird seat, the time may be opportune for reporting the rain-related wit that the Joint Commissioner of Police (North), C. Sylendra Babu, recently regaled a congregation with. And ironically, his audience looked like drowned rats, all credit to a "depression-crafted" gully-washer.
While on a posting in Cuddalore, Babu had an unenviable task, thanks to two communities who were always spoiling for a fight. "Each community would clash with the other when they would not be fighting within themselves. The powder was always dry for a fresh confrontation."
Once, there was a pitched battle between members of the two communities. And a village was set on fire. As the situation seemed to slip out of hand, the policemen opened fire. As the guns went tut-tut-tut, the belligerent warlords disappeared into thin air. And the fire was extinguished in double-quick time. Just as the policemen saw reason to pat themselves on their shoulders, they noticed that another village was on fire. Then another village. And then another. It was a conflagration; five villages were on fire. "Under such circumstances the policemen can do no better than pray for rains," Babu concluded the story, tongue-in-cheek.
When life looks like a one-eyed monster, look over your shoulder and you would find others contending with monsters much more hideous. There was that message in Sylendra Babu's speech. The police officer, who hails from Kanyakumari, drew from him childhood memories to illustrate this truth.
In Kanyakumari, an umbrella and "monsoon-friendly" footwear are part of the school kit, all through the year, as the district enjoys (or suffers from) the bounty of both the monsoons. Babu gave this information to cheer our dampened spirits.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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