MY CHENNAI

East or west Chennai is the best.

Come rain or drought, Chennai will be my resort.

Being a Chennaite, I love my city and according to me it is the best city in India. The main reason that makes Chennai special is its wonderful blend of modern and traditional values. Here people from all walks of life are connected to each other not by their religion, caste or creed but by their attachment to the soil. Chennaiites are so connected to namma Chennai that wherever we go we are drawn back to the city for its charm and beauty.

For the past few years, Chennai faced a shortage of rainfall and we were preparing for a drought situation this year. The water levels in our houses had dropped to an all time low, the reservoirs were nearly getting dry and crops were affected due to inadequate rainfall. People very literally praying for abundant rainfall this year.

And rain did come and it came in such a high volume and in such a short span of time that it took everyone off guard. The roads were flooded with water and the rains had no plans of stopping. To add to our woes the reservoirs were on the brink of getting full and water was released in such large volumes that it started entering houses and in a few places submerging the entire ground floor of the building. Within a span of few days the impending drought situation turned into a flood calamity.

The floods wrecked havoc in the lives of crores of people living in Chennai and neighbouring towns. Normal life has been affected as people are stranded for the past several days in several feets of rain with no food, no water, no electricity, no mobile network, and with the risk of germs and diseases.

The well designed buildings, homes, roads and flyovers are looking strength-less in front of nature's fury. Several flyovers have crashed, roads have caved in and walls have collapsed due to heavy rains. The roads, buildings, homes, and even airport, and railway station are flooded and cabs, buses and autos very few on the roads. In many areas, boats are being used to transfer people to safety. In total my lovely Chennai city has been transformed into a Sea.

In this adverse situation, it is the spirit of Chennai and the never give up attitude that is driving people to persevere with patience and come out of this crisis. The government is doing its best to overcome the unprecedented disaster. People are helping each other in this hour of need and many have opened their houses to strangers who are stranded due to water. Many are also coming out of their homes to distribute food packets and other essentials to people who are trapped inside their homes. NGOs and other welfare associations are also endeavouring their best to rescue the suffering people and provide them with essential food items, medicines and other materials. People from other states and countries are also contributing to help people to come out of this situation.

It is the bonding, prayer and love between the people of India that is giving every Chennaiite that much needed strength and hope. We are praying and hoping that our woes would end and normal life would return very soon.

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This post is written in association with Tata Motors and Indiblogger.