Vardah- The Ferocious Cyclone

I have never been witness to a cyclone all my life. I have always heard of cyclones battering the coastal areas of Orissa or the neighboring country of Bangladesh. We used to always have near misses at Chennai from destructive Cyclones. In the past they would come close and then take a right turn, showing its might to the nearby coastal areas.

Thinking that this was one of those types, I carried on with my routine work. However the sky was overcast, very cloudy and a cool breeze that swept across my face as I stood at the entrance to my house. But as the day progressed I did notice the change in wind speed. The trees started swinging wildly. Tin roofs became flying saucers. Doors started banging despite being bolted tightly and window panes took flight. The search and prayers for rain continues as Vardah bought powerful winds and weak rainfall.

One more rare sight that I witnessed was the sky. The Clouds were very low. I wondered that if I threw a ball skywards, it would surely pierce the clouds. One more observation that I made: There were birds in the sky, obviously no control over the direction of flight more like a drunk man, all flying in random directions. Some of these birds that I saw, species I have never seen before, perhaps all lost from their own homes because of the storm.

I thought that this would pass over soon, but Vardah was in no mood to leave before it had left behind a trail of destruction that would perhaps to a few days to restore. I did happen to take a walk and a survey of all that had transpired. Chennai resembled a war zone. It seemed as if the city had been bombarded from the skies above. Uprooted Trees, Lampposts turned and twisted, Huts destroyed, Many shattered window panes. Trees decided to play hammer and tongs with the Cars below them. My own car had a miraculous escape twice over yesterday. I had just stepped out to drop my wife, As we were passing Pondy Bazaar in Chennai, Thud!!!! a tree fell on a I10 behind us. We missed a green kiss by just a few seconds. Second shock was when we returned home. There is a huge tree below which we usually park our car. The Tree had decided to rest in peace. Lucky my car was not there.

The cyclone bought people together and we as a society joined hands in removing fallen trees, distributing food and generally being resilient. I had taken a few pictures from my window . Seemed very symbolic of what goes on in our lives as well. There is a storm and then there is a calm. Life seems to be back at its beautiful best. There is a common thread that sustains us in the storm as well as in the calm. That Thread is God and He is constant whether it is a storm or a calm. Keep Him by your side and He will see you through the ups and downs of Life. Keep Smiling! Stay Blessed!