Being Chased By The Rain

Earlier, I read about bomb attacks, rapes, suicides and abductions in the newspaper. I would ensconce myself safely in the warmth of a sofa at home, and read casually, sipping my tea. Now, in the recent past, these incidents have happened to friends, to acquaintances or to people I shared a public space with, on a daily basis.

I just got to know about a crime in JNU. Apparently, a man attacked a classmate with an axe; she screamed in pain, in terror; and he proceeded to slit his own throat and consume poison. While they were rushed to the hospital, a knife and a pistol were also recovered from his bag. He died on the way, but she is in a critical state.

When we look at a crime from a distance, we assume this cannot happen to us, or to those near us. When these crimes happen to people you knew even distantly, the enormity of it strikes with full force. Last week, a friend of mine was found possibly raped and murdered in a hotel room in Bihar. Despite active online campaigning for justice, I know in my heart that not much will be done. I know for a fact that enthusiasm will die down. I know for certain, that it will take years to bring justice for a crime committed without remorse.

Last evening, while returning from work in the evening, I noticed the urgency in everyone’s footsteps. They were scurrying to run home, to escape the onslaught of the rain on Delhi roads. Our CM says ‘one can/must only pray’ to avoid water-logging, flooding on the streets. So, we ran home-ward bound, to avoid being electrocuted by AC wires hidden in the rain, to avoid car engines breaking down in the middle of a road, where the water reaches its bonnet, to avoid being drenched and leered at by by-standing men, to avoid the costs of over-charge to cabs and autos—to avoid, being dead, raped or destitute.

While in the shared auto, I could see the raging black clouds behind us, creeping up stealthily, consistently. And each one of us, meek as a mouse, was hoping to get home, to escape the fury.

Being chased by the rain brought on realisations of growing up, of stressing out, of realizing the mortality of parents, of siblings, of friends, of yourself. Being chased by the rain, made me dwell on the horrors around me. Being chased by the rain made me look within, and wonder, is human existence meant to be so fragile? So futile? So worrisome?

I’d rather be a dragonfly, unaware and free to flit past the monsters of humanity.