City's Underbelly Lies Exposed

One big shower and all the claims of 'rain readiness' are washed away...

This was what was mentioned in the DNA...
There is more to the city's roads than asphalt. The city had a pockmarked appearance after 48 hours of unremitting rains, exposing the tall claims made by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) about monsoon-preparedness.
Potholes surfaced on the roads as water began to recede. There was more damage: cross culverts had choked and overflowed, dividers damaged and paver blocks sunk, debris added to the troubles of the commuters. Though MMRDA had claimed to have completed maintenance work just before the monsoon, craters were formed on the raods. If the city's arteries came undone, its veins and capillaries fared far worse. Residents reported many other spots where one could duck for a quick swim.

And as usual the Indian Meteorological Department had to predict 'heavy to extremely heavy' rainfall with strong, gusty winds after all the damage was done.
Contrary, the day after the heavy downpour, skies were relatively clear all through the day.

Moments to cherish...

A living part of heaven....

Matheran: situated at an altitude of 800m this picturesque hill-station is the nearest to Mumbai, lying around 100km away. Mantled with lush greenery, it is marked by circular hiking track around it. This place can be said to be composed of the three primary colours: red earth below, blue skies overhead and greenery all around. The ban of motor vehicles inside Matheran keeps pollution at bay and preserves the natural beauty of the place.

I visited this place last weekend. It was a fun-filled outing. It was a combination of sunny and overcast weather, the day we reached there. In the evening we were out for some sight-seeing, and after sometime it started raining, heavily. We thought that this would disrupt our excursion, but it actually increased our excitement level. We were all drenched in the torrential downpour.

After getting dowsed in the rain for around half-an-hour, it was time for some more 'cool' experience...Swimming in the cold water for an hour. With rain pouring and wind blustering above the pool. This was the most enjoyable part of the trip. Horse riding is another trademark of hill-stations and the trip is incomplete without it. Horse being my favourite animal, it was nice to see the one I was riding, sneeze in sets of 4-5...like me :)

This place relieves you of the stress faced in a busy metro with hectic schedule and restores back the composure of the mind.
All in all, a truly rich and memorable experience...