Listen to the Falling Rain

My  cousin' s  teenage  daughter

baked this  cake  for  my mother.

They  visited  us   after  a  long time

that  made  it  even  more  special.

This  little fellow  was  enjoying

the  worship  music  at the  retreat.

He  brought  his  toy  guitar

to play  along.

The  advent  of  the  monsoons  has  brought  us

refreshment  and respite but  a rise  in  everyday  problems too.

Read  this  report  published

in  Times  of  India

 (  these miniature cement

sculptures are  by

a Western artist)

ALLAHABAD: Denizens of the city faced numerous problems owing to extensive waterlogging, as the rains lashed the city on Sunday night and Monday. It was a virtual doom, as many areas of the city were submerged in almost knee deep water.

As a result, traffic in different parts of the city was not only affected, but also came to a grinding halt, as people faced problems, while negotiating their way through the waterlogged streets. The rains have also categorically exposed the tall claims of the Allahabad Municipal Corporation regarding comprehensive arrangements to tackle the problem of waterlogging.

The condition of roads, which have been dug up for the laying of underground sewage pipelines further deteriorated. The slush caused hardships for the commuters and the schoolchildren going to their school.

The problem was acute in the areas of Rambagh, Bengali Tola, Kydganj, Chaukhandi, Allahpur, Mumfordganj, Baghambari Gaddi, Alopibagh, Chowk, Rani Mandi, Nakhas Kohna, Dara Shah Ajmal, Bahadurganj, Khuldabad, Muthiganj, Chak, Colonelganj, Subzi Mandi, Attarsuiya, Daraganj and other areas of the city. In Bengali Tola and Rambagh, people had to wade through knee deep water. Different lanes and bylanes of the locality was filled with water. People were keeping a close watch on the level of water, lest it enter their houses.

Speaking about the woes afflicting the residents of the area, Abha Dwivedi, corporator of Rambagh says, "There is problem of water logging every time, whenever there is rainfall. The problem is acute in the area of Bengali Tola, which always gets filled with water even during slight drizzle."She rued that the area is not properly cleaned, due to absence of adequate number of sanitary workers.

Besides, the area of Allahpur also witnessed heavy water-logging. Various lanes of Baghambari Gaddi Housing Scheme was filled with water. Due to the non cleaning of some portion of Dandiya Nala, water did not drain out and it caused water logging in some portions of Allahpur. The problem was more acute in Alopibagh, where the work of constructing sanitary chambers is going on. A truck turned turtle here causing traffic problems in the area.
Roads of some areas of the city including Ashoknagar have also caved in. Some of the cattle in the area also died due to electric current during the rains.

At Mumfordganj, residents of MIG Colony complained that silt along the main drain of the locality has not been lifted. The silt has once gain fallen into the drain due to which there was problem of water-logging.

The problem deteriorated in Dara Shah Ajmal locality, where water entered in many houses of the area. This area always faces this problem as it is located on a lower topography compared to the surrounding localities.
(Times  of  India)
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I  am  not  venturing  out  much because  the  slippery  roads  and  puddles   makes  walking   difficult  for  me. I  don 't   have  a  car. A helper  does  small  jobs  for  me.

But God' s  grace  is  sufficient  for  us . Like  gentle  rain drops   of God 's  grace  fails  into  our  lives.

Last  week   the  government  announced  another increase in fuel  and  cooking  gas  prices. Which   means prices  of   all  essential  commodities  and  food   will  jump  up  again. The  whole  of  India  is in  uproar  at this. Transport  will  become  more  expensive. The  hole   in  my   pocket  is  getting   larger.

A  Christian brother who  runs  an  orphanage in Calcutta  says   it  will  be  difficult to  feed  his  90  children. All  protein based  food has  become  very  expensive.  Its  so  hard  for   the  destitute and  backward people. The  rich  don 't  care.  They  have  plenty  in reserve.

According  to  UN  surveys India  ranks  high  on  the  world  hunger  index.  More  people   go  to  sleep  hungry  in India  than on  the   continent of  Africa they  say.

Read   an  IBN 7  news report HERE


Well,  all  this   is  pretty  depressing  so  let  me  end   with this  video. I  used  to   listen to  this  rain song on  SLBC (Shri  Lanka Broadcasting  Cooperation  Radio) in my  teens.  I discovered  it  on  YouTube. Maybe  you  remember  it  too.