Stuck in the Bangalore rains once again. Considering that Bangalore is one of the places that doesnt get too much rain too often (Its a place which has a moderate and pleasant climate - ref: Wikipedia), I get trapped in them with surprising regularity. And every time I am under such situations, an annoyed voice in my head articulates " Why did you not bring your Jacket or your umbrella? You know its nearing the end of May, you know you have been stuck in the downpour once every often and you know that the clouds dont seem to be your best buddies - THEN WHY IN THE HELL DONT YOU GO AROUND WITH SOME 'RAINWEAR', or, is it so heavy that you poor weakling cannot carry it...or perhaps you are too lazy..you...&%$*^#" - and I know that when this voice starts blurting incoherent things, its time I did something about it, or, atleast start thinking about doing something about it.
I went down to Crossword today with my Sister, Brother-in-law and my neice, objective being to enhance my slowly growing book collection a little more. Shopping done, we set out back home at around 7:45 PM. Our house is around 1 Km away - a distance which puts most of the auto rickshaw drivers into a dilemma of whether to take the fare or not - most of the times they decide not to. So we intend to walk back - or thats a general feeling, unless we get a generous auto driver. But we step out of crossword and find that its pouring (not cats and dogs but normal incessant rain.) No umbrellas with anyone, so we decide to wait it out.
Good time to have a coffee? I thought so too...theres a coffee shop inside crossword too...just perfect..the idea gets shot as soon as it comes out of my mouth. So we just stand there. I look around see some pretty faces lurking here and there...
About 10 minutes later, the rain shows some signs of letting down, a cleverly disguised illusion, which I later realise. My brother-in-law braves the drizzle and goes out to try and get a rickshaw to get us back. We three would have walked but for my sister getting worried that her little one will get cold - quite natural. I stay back along with my sister and neice. 5 minutes later, the rain slows down even more.
Choice time - No 1: To go or Not to go
A perplexing choice between deciding to go ahead in the light drizzle and get caught somewhere in the middle of the road with a heavy downpour (as I have said earlier, this rain seems to be a master Illusionist) or waiting for ever in the slowly crowding entrance of the bookshop, my patience running out and mind getting slowly aggravated by that constantly bickering voice in my head. Choice is made by my sister...Lets go. She calls up my brother-in-law (who has gone searching for the rickshaw in the opposite direction) to come along and we slowly walk. I support that decision - reasons being:
1. As already said, I was getting agitated by the voice in my head
2. Again, as mentioned earlier the entrance was getting crowded
3. The smell of coffee was enticing me, and I did not want to burn any more hole in my pocket considering that I already spent close to 1000 bucks
4. The coffee shop and the bookstore was gradually getting devoid of all the pretty girls who were there a little earlier.
I dont know what sort of reasoning went behind my sister's decision - I am guessing it was a simpler "the rains slowing down, so lets get going " and I am thinking - why cant I make my life so simple.
So we start going ahead. A few feet down the road and that master Illusionist casts his sadistic spell. Well, the only spell he knows - more heavy rains. We are stuck in the middle of the road. I find a tree under which I think we can stand under and save ourself - a foolish decision as I realise that the master Illusionist has seen this trick and has upped the tempo of the rains a little more. If we stand there even for a minute longer we'd be as good standing without any cover. We head back towards another cover, more like run towards another cover. Never seen my sister running so fast, that too carrying her daughter - thats motherly love, I figure out.
We find refuge in the basement parking of a hotel that calls itself 12th Avenue. I think ,"12th Main", the road on which this hotel was situated, would have sounded too Indian for the hotel owner's, so they decided to replace the "Main" by "Avenue" - as if people cant see through their small fiddling of words. The rain doesn't show any signs of stopping. Theres a small river developing on the sides of the road, which I am enjoying watching.
A thought crops up - Given that I am in the field of risk management and pride myself in doing "Risk-based audits" why can't I mitigate some of such risks that happen everyday. Its forseeable that it will rain, then why can't I devise a "strategy" to cope up with the risk of getting drenched, the impact being possible pneumonia (we generally tend to give the worst possible scenario as the Impact - helps to get attention). As one part of my mind is grappling with more management mumbo-jumbo to explain the situation, the other voice in my head screams "BECAUSE YOU ARE A DUMB, STUPID IDIOT WHO CANT EVEN THINK 30 MINUTES AHEAD - AND YOU NEED A 'STRATEGY' TO SOLVE DUMB, STUPID, FOOLISH EVERYDAY CRAP?" - Fair enough.
Choice time - No 2: To go or Not to go
The rain reduces again lest its another trick by that devious Illusionist. My sister calls up my brother-in-law and finds that he's back at the bookstore, no luck with any rickshaw's either. We conclude that we wait for my brother-in-law to come this place and then we can leave together. I go out check the rain. I am already half drenched. I see people going in rickshaw's - they look at me as if saying "Hey, look! I managed to catch a rickshaw - you did not? - Oh poor soul - All the best". Mockery kills me. I decide that we should make a dash for home - reasons being:
1. I need to get home fast and get dry - have dinner and go to sleep - tomorrow's monday :-(
2. The bickering voice in my head is nagging me away to insanity
3. I am convinced that the master illusionist has a vendetta against me and will not let me live unless he has drenched me to his liking. Seems like the Mumbai rain Gods have shifted here along with me
4. There are no pretty girls here either.
My brother-in-law arrives and the decision is made. We will head for home. But his was a more simpler reasoning: "We have already got half soaked - might as well get a little more wet and reach home" - Why, I think, can't I make decisions with such straightforward logic? The voice in my head starts uttering something but I cannot hear what - I am busy saving my feet from puddles which seem like obstacles which have been strategically and deliberately placed by someone who wants us to use our brains in figuring out which is the best way of getting out of it quickly and with minimum drenching?
