Rain and associated Maladies

The funny thing about rain (other than the fact that it rhymes with pain) is that there is always someone who manages to get the prediction right and then keeps harping about it for the rest of her/his life. Take for instance the people who had gotten the prediction for 26th July, 2005 right. These are the people who claim they knew beforehand about the existence of a 15km high or wide or long cloud over Mumbai. And then they will keep on repeating "I told you to take your umbrella along".

I am a student of Environmental Engineering and after two semesters of training, I can say this with certainty about rain : It's unpredictable! No, seriously, when somebody asks me about the unpredictability of the rain and the reasons for the same, alarm bells start ringing in my head. I realize that I am probably going to be dragged into the "is industrialization / vehicular pollution / increasing population / reservation / etc etc. the reason for the unprecedented rainfall variations"
People have their own opinions and they will go to any extents to defend them and I am not ruling out legal lawsuits, knives and guns.

Lawyer : "Your honour, the defendant refused to accept my client's point of view, thereby causing him inhuman depression and irreversible mental damage. He now thinks that he is the President of India and that he is the brains behind India's Nuclear Program."

Judge : "Is that true?"

Client : "Yes it is. And now if you permit me, I have to leave. I have a meeting with Dr. Kakodkar. The Americans have delayed the Uranium consignment...."

Judge : "I sentence the defendant guilty and direct him to pay the client a sum of $ 20 million in damages"

As is plainly obvious, I would rather accept the other person's point of view than the punitive damages (not that I have $ 20 million on me, but hey! why take risks?) So, I make some weird noises, as if I am suffering from stomach trouble and this causes sufficient alarm in most social circles for these opinionists to keep away from me. I am sure they are moving around in other circles saying that my stomach troubles are the cause of increased methane in the atmosphere and that as a precautionary measure against increase in the greenhouse effect, the government should take preventive action, such as denying me the right to purchase proteinaceous foods.

But then, I am deviating from the principal topic at hand. Which by now you have forgotten. So here's a reminder. I was talking about the pain from the rain. When the rains arrive, they bring with them a host of problems : viral fevers, colds, coughs, pregnancies (Not really, but I am sure that caught your attention! ;-)) Not to mention delayed trains, buses, deliveries (I am talking about transportation and courier people, not pregnant women, you moron!) Anyway, so that is what I want to say about the rains. And in case you disagree, I am already off the proteinaceous foodstuffs, so please don't sue me!