Bombay soaked and soggy

A bizarre day for several reasons:

One, I get up to go for TT selections, hoping that I haven't lost touch too much only to discover otherwise once I start playing. Two miserable matches later, with very few sparks to talk of, I am not a part of the GLC TT team anymore. There go 10 marks - I suppose next year I shall just have to earn it.

After another (the umpteenth) session of talking to one more person about big plans for my dearest (aka GLC), I am in one of those bemused moods, talking to a person who says he/she cannot accept mediocrity, has contacts all over the place, will definitely be able to get funds, take care of marketing and PR etc etc. To be honest, I've seen one too many of these people, and it just pisses me off that they respect this College so little. This may sound confusing, so I shall explain.

Every time someone comes up with a grandiose plan and talks about how much can be done here because Ambedkar and Tilak studied here, it shows how little they know about the real world and also how eager they are to take not only the college and its students, but more importantly, their reputation for a long roller coaster ride. I've stuck my neck out far too many times for plans like these (usually by people who have their own obviously-very-well hidden agendas), and this time round the enthusiastic idiot shall not remain one.

On to happier things and Bombay is seeing some of its worst flooding for a long time. I just got back from College a couple of hours back having spent about 90 minutes on the bike. All trains have been suspended and traffic is naturally choc-a-bloc everywhere. People are beginning to walk home even to places about 35-40 kms off College. Schools in Bombay have been called off for two days. No news of colleges. Oh well!

The ride back was not only eventful, but also fun. The bike had been in the rain for a while, so it took repeated starts all the way home because it was one, cold and two, wet. The traffic was bumper to bumper all the way from Walkeshwar to Churchgate on Marine Drive (which for non-Bombay'ites, means that almost the whole of Marine drive was blocked up). So I do what any enterprising biker would -

Note: Do you enjoy riding a bicycle / 2 wheeler or driving a car? I always have. I like the idea of power at your wrist / pedals. Have you ever ridden a motor vehicle on the pavement with pedestrians on it?

So, a whole chunk of us bikers decided that the footpath was the option. I can assure you that this is almost a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Its great fun to hurtle (relatively) down the footpath honking your horn and looking at pedestrians as if its their fault that they aren't getting out of your way!! Even more fun is the art of letting a mobike behind you overtake you so that you can use him just as Calvin uses his rubber ducky to test for sharks. I can tell you that 90 minutes of this nonsense and you're a pro at wet riding.

But this is, of course, not the end. As we head into the Chowpatty bottleneck after Mafatlal - we decide not to get off the pavement and continue on that 4 foot wide pavement bordering the park on Chowpatty! This is when the real fun starts. I am now the 4th or 5th bike in the convoy. As I move along I suddenly see this guy on the side wall clinging on for dear life and screaming his lungs out at something up ahead. Methinks biker no. 1. We finally get off a little before the Kulfi centre signal after biker no. 1 has endured the brunt of the attacks.

The next great bottleneck is Nana Chowk. The traffic cop is standing there bravely braving the rain and when we honk a bit saying let the bikers through - he stops us and lets a Sumo into the only remaining space in the junction!!! Cars cant move because there are too many which have broken down due to the flooding on exit roads. Wherever cars can move, they are prevented due to the multitudes of pedestrians standing their ground!

It ocassionally becomes a cyclical thing with no place for either man nor vehicle to manouvre. The Tardeo high road's water is nearly knee high and the bike finally gives up on me after having drunk too much from the wrong snout. After a bit of pushing I finally make it home safe, sound, soaked and soggy.

Anyway - dinner beckons - so I shall get back and do the needul with the quote and some photos.