Sometimes I wonder whether Bob Marley would have remote connections with Chennai when he said the following words about rain: “Some people feel the rain and others just get wet”. Rain in a summer scorching day, is a welcome wish for everyone, especially if you are in Chennai. Chennai has got three seasons. First is Hot season; Second is a bit different climate i.e, Hotter and the third season is Hottest. So literally Chennaites are always HOT.
You must have heard about movie names like, “Chennayil oru
Naal” which gives a romantic idea about Chennai. But actually, to go for a ride
in Chennai during daytime in summer, reminds me of Nicholas Cage from the movie
“Ghost Rider” burning everywhere. Needless to say, rain in summer, in Chennai is
most loved.
The rainy season in Chennai is a phenomenon that is not only loved but also hated. Loved because it brings much-needed relief from the sweltering
heat and humidity, and hated because it turns the roads into bumpy rides and
causes diversions all over the city, that you may be going round and round,
except for merry. But in recent times, something remarkable has happened,
turning a once dreaded rainy day into a fun ride akin to a water theme park,
complete with splashy rides, wave pools and leaky metro bridges as showers.
Recently, I had been to ‘Wonderla’ in Kerala and had seen
crowds flocking to that place to get some cool day within their campus through fun
rides, water rides and dry rides as well. But its not so easily affordable. For
such people, who feel they can’t afford to pay so much for a water theme park,
Chennai on a rainy day, is the place to rush.
If you live in Chennai, you know that even a passing ‘rain
clad’ clouds downpour and can turn the city into an unrecognizable place. The
roads metamorphose into murky, muddy water bodies that make you want to wade
through them like a child in a wave pool. The potholes become much deeper than
usual, making it almost a challenge to see which one is the deepest, as
vehicles bob up and down like wave pool rides.
But the real fun starts when the metro bridges start
leaking. I’m not sure whether they planned perfectly the periodic leakage spots
between one station and the next. If you are on a two wheeler, it’s like ‘Chennayil
oru Kuttralam’. If you are in a car, the rainwater drips down onto the vehicles
below, making them look like they're driving through an automatic car wash. For
the people inside, it's almost like a free-of-cost shower. No more waiting to
get home before drying off - just open the windows. People eagerly look forward
to passing by the leaky metro bridges, as it is an experience that cannot be
had elsewhere.
The water-logged roads become the perfect scene for some
splashing experiences. There are some ‘fun loving’ uncles who love to splash
the water on your clean neat attire and gather everyone’s curses on their way
home. As the vehicles move forward, the water splashes in all directions, onto
the people on the sidewalks, the cars parallel-parked to the side and people
just walking by.
The slow-moving traffic becomes a source of excitement and
delight as the heat is gone. We don’t mind waiting as long as heat is
invisible. The autorickshaws, buses and cars all becoming new splashy rides to
test out, giving it a unique twist to the rain carnival. Another worth
mentioning aspect of this summer rain is the wave pool arrangements they had in
different places of city. What a variety of wave pools! Not even water theme
parks have such variations. From ankle level upto your knee level, we get waves
hitting us hard as different size vehicles pass by.
To summarize, a rainy day in Chennai is no longer something
to dread, but an exciting experience much like a visit to a water theme park.
To anyone looking for a fun-filled day, book your tickets to Chennai during the
rainy season, and you will not be disappointed. Unexpected splashy rides, wave
pools in the middle of the city, leaky metro bridges as showers and an overall
carnival atmosphere-now we cannot ask for anything better!
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