A brief respite

No this photo isn't of today. It was not clicked by me,

and most certainly its not even of Kolkata. But it is one

I kept looking at for cool comfort when things were

getting UNbearable.

At last. Our collective wait is over (if only for about half an hour). Mercury touched 42 degrees and was soaring. Humidity to boot. And to make matters really ANNOYING, skies were over cast since morning. Not a leaf stirred. And then suddenly, when we were wrapping up at work, homewards bound, a tremendous nor'wester swept in. Then came the rains. Crazy winds and fantastic lightening. So we were stuck. On top of that there was a rush to close windows before the panes shattered. So not only were we stuck, we were stuck indoors with the windows closed and all the hot air trapped in.

Despite our plans of leaving dot at 5.30 - many buses have gone off the roads (something to do with elections - not very sure what though) - we left much later. The narrow roads were rendered narrower because sides were filled with water leaving a narrow - one man -sorry - make that one person strip in the middle. The rickshaws, bikes came whizzing past on either side with all of us pedestrians walking through the centre, splashing us from left and right. And all the way to the bus stop, brilliant flashes lit the sky and scared me witless.

But at the end of the road, there was a welcome sight! A couple frying HOT piyanjis, phuluris and aloo chop. Ah! Just the thing in the cool and pleasant weather.