Over thirty-five years ago, on a dark and stormy Bombay night, I took what seemed an innocent right turn into the Andheri Subway. It turned out to be a swimming pool.
The rain was pouring down. Visibility was poor. Before I knew it, my faithful Fiat 118NE was floating where cars were supposed to drive. The water rose alarmingly fast until it was level with the windows.
My wife looked at me. I looked at her. The car looked at both of us and seemed to say, “You’re on your own.”
There was no rescue team. No disaster management force. No emergency hotline. Only one terrified husband. I told my wife to climb onto the steering wheel and somehow, with what I can only describe as temporary superhuman strength, I got out and pushed that car through the floodwaters.
Inches at a time. Painfully. Heroically. Foolishly. Eventually we reached dry land.
The car survived. My back did not.
Even today, when my back reminds me of its existence, I remember that flooded subway.
Yesterday, after just a twenty-minute shower, the same Andheri Subway was flooded again.
Thirty-five years.
Different governments. Different ministers. Different slogans.
Same water. Same flooding. Same citizens stranded.
This is what puzzles me.
Every day we hear magnificent announcements. Bullet trains. Mega projects. Skywalks.
Coastal roads. Flying roads. Underwater roads. Roads above roads. Roads below roads.
Soon perhaps roads that fly themselves.
Yet the ordinary problems remain exactly where they were. Examination papers leak. Bombay roads resemble ancient cobblestone pathways as you bump along. Potholes become landmarks.
Footpaths vanish.
Traffic cops are missing when needed and mysteriously present when fines can be collected.
Women still worry about safety. Fire safety appears only after a tragedy. Storm drains behave as though rain is an unexpected annual surprise.
And every monsoon, Mumbai acts shocked that water falls from the sky.
I am not against progress. Build the bullet train. Build airports. Build bridges. Build whatever you want.
But first make sure a citizen can drive through a city without needing a submarine.
Make sure children can take an exam without wondering whether somebody purchased the question paper the night before.
Make sure roads are smooth enough that a driver does not require chiropractic treatment after a short journey.
A nation is not judged only by the height of its bridges or the speed of its trains.
It is judged by whether ordinary problems get solved.
Yesterday, as I watched the flooded subway on television, my back began aching again.
Not because of old age. Not because of the rain. But because some problems in India seem to have remained in exactly the same place for twenty-five years, and unlike my old 118NE, nobody appears interested in pushing them out…!
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Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and writes a daily column, which has graced the pages of over 60 newspapers and magazines, from a daily column in the Khaleej Times, Dubai, the Morning Star, London, and in nearly every state in India, from The Statesman in Kolkata, to the Kashmir Times in Kashmir to the Trinity Mirror in Chennai.
Let’s be truthful in our talk and practical in our approach to solutions. Bragging doesn’t solve issues. Commitment only does matter. Very nice piece of writing 👏
A reminder, perhaps, to deaf ears. When will the public wake up to demand accountability?
Exactly.
Year after year, monsoon after monsoon, the same floods. Nothing has changed for the common man not only in Mumbai but in most cities.
Our leaders are forcing us to be “state swimmers” and “expert boatmen!”
Looks like the commuters need to wear a life jacket to work during the monsoons to “stay afloat.”
Our political leaders need to first fix issues relating to common amenities before taking up ambitious projects which is most welcome by the way.
After all, public money should be well spent on building infrastructure instead of building palaces, sparkling fountains and golden bathtubs. Pun intended.
Excellent piece again! What I liked most about the writing is it showed how simple writing can be and yet hilariously impactful.
Only that, this time, I didn’t understand the last sentence, “unlike my old 118NE, nobody appears interested in pushing them out…!”
Thank you James. The last sentence means that nobody is interested in pushing out the old problems.
An incredibly powerful reflection written with humor, pain & honesty. A flooded subway, a floating Fiat, and a painful back have become a powerful metaphor for decades of unfinished work.
A moving reminder that true development is not only about grand projects but about making everyday life safer and easier for citizens.
Andheri subway is the classic example of civic apathy. It shows mental lethargy and absence of common sense at every level of governance.
Sometimes I wonder authorities do not want to resolve such issues…so that to remain in news forever!
Bob,
Interestingly, just recently I wrote on the same subject. Your views resonate with mine.
I however admit that I couldn’t take it and left Mumbai for Mangalore in 2007. Never been happier.
Spot on! The taxes of the majority are spent on luxuries for a miniscule number of people. The math ain’t mathing! This is corruption!
You are absolutely right. We need to pay attention to the nitty gritty before launching ambitious projects like the bullet train etc. And I know exactly what you mean as I also lived in Andheri many years and faced the same issue many times.
However there is just a very small problem. The fancy projects ..the highways, new airports , bullet train ALL come under the purview of the CENTRAL GOVT. The Andheri bypass comes under Brihan Mumbai Mahanagarpalika ( BMMP ) – or Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Two different creatures altogether.
Also the underpass, actually dips 8 – 10 ft. below surrounding ground/road level to allow traffic to go UNDER the local and outstation train tracks. Normally a simple raising of the floor level by filling it with mud etc. would solve the flooding problem, but that is just not possible here due to the immovable tracks above. The other option would be to install a drain that could take away the flood waters. This is also not possible as the underpass floor is already 10 ft below ground level. To start a drain that could join other existing neighbouring drains at a higher level would perhaps also not be easily possible due to heavy concentration of buildings around. The only feasible solution that i can think of is for the Mumbai municipality to install powerful pumps there Every Monsoon and pump the water out and let it flow in to the regular drains above. But that needs imagination AND a focus on resolving problems. Sadly the Uddhav Thackeray Shiv Sena , which had been in control of the BMMP for the last 3 decades was more interested in making money. By God’s grace they were replaced this year by the coalition led by the BJP so one hopes things will change for the better soon. Fingers crossed.
We vote the sadist because we are Masochist !
Andheri subway was flooded with the rain which lasted for maximum 2 hrs. High speed suction pumps are already brought in but in spite of that there was heavy flooding. High rise buildings are constructed near or maybe over the wide nallas that used to carry these flood waters straight to Versova. The authorities would know better. Same problem year after year but it seems our voice cannot be heard. Sorry state of affairs. What cannot be cured has to be endured
And the twenty minute shower made me lash out at one of our country’s top IAS Officer who once headed the BMC and had IS Chahal and Gagrabi as his juniors !!They come and go and the Subways continue to flood and we continue to pay our taxes to the blind and the deaf !!!
Nice article.
‘Do we dare
Disturb the universe?…
We have known them all already.
Known them all …’
Yes let’s do it. Let’s give a chance to the cockroaches to change the way our system works.
Absolutely true, Bob. This reminds me of the underpass at the Bangalore East railway station. In fact there are two underpasses. One was constructed pre-independence and the other, perhaps 10 to 15 years ago. The old underpass is in good condition, but the new was lying unused for a couple of years. Then the powers woke up and opened the underpass for the public. Come monsoon and it’s a spectacular display and experience. The roof leaks like a seive, the water gushes in from every side, people and vehicles keep using this underpass till a vehicle breaks down and everything comes to a standstill. My sister almost missed her train. The traffic was at a standstill, she waded through the knee deep water, managed to cross to the other side, took an auto to the Cantonment railway station. Mind you, the underpass can be repaired, but who is interested. This is a recurring feature every year.