The sky had been overcast since morning. But it really started to pour around 1130hrs. And it didn't stop after that.

I could see it pour through the window in my office. SEEPZ is not a low-lying area and the water didn't seem to accumulate, so I never realized how bad it was outside.

Meanwhile, life inside the Office continued normally till around 1530hrs. Till the network crashed. The problem with technology and work these days, is that it takes an Internet failure to convince oneself that something is wrong.

Even, then I didn't realize that something was terribly terribly wrong. I did, however, realize that the rains had still not stopped. So I stepped out to watch the rain pour from the safe confines of our Office Porch. There was water, plenty of it, but it somehow, managed to drain out effortlessly. Even then, the road had a ½ inch layer of water. That didn't look too bad.

Angel called. She was freaking out in Churchgate and had taken the sensible decision of leaving office early and of putting up at a friend's place in Colaba instead of heading home to Thane. Apparently, the Railways had to shut down train services because of the heavy rains. She called me up twice, enquiring why I had not left office yet. I was stupid enough to tell her two things:

1. That she need not worry, because I had an efficient bus service to get me home.
2. I was enjoying my work and would be leaving at 1830hrs after I'd finished my stuff.

When I stepped out finally, there were no buses in sight. All the familiar faces at work were stranded. Men and women huddled together under single umbrellas and it initially looked fun. I waited with the others for about 30mins expecting the bus to turn up. Then, we all realized that there's no way the bus would be able to enter SEEPZ, thanks to the traffic blocking the entrance. So I stepped out with a colleague who had an umbrella. Now I know that you cannot survive with a windcheater in the Mumbai rain. It spares nobody.

Outside SEEPZ' Gate#III. There was chaos. There is usually some order in Mumbai traffic. But today evening there was none. Every vehicle was jostling for space. The under-construction flyover and the construction materials piled on either side of the road, helped in making things worse. The water was about 2inches high. I was in formals and my favourite leathers.

We still had hope for our reliable bus. But after another half an hour of waiting and watching the traffic move 6feet in that period, we were convinced that waiting for the bus would be stupidity. So we thought we'd walk to the end of the road, where the mess would hopefully, be cleared.

As we trudged along, I enjoyed the spirited Mumbaikars. People were totally soaked in the rain but singing. One Sardarji had set up shop selling umbrellas. Atleast that's what I think, because he had 3 of them stacked under his arm. People in their cars were stuck, sandwiched by the traffic in front and behind.

As we crossed the bridge near the L&T complex, we glanced over to see people wading through waist deep water. People had abandoned their motorbikes at somewhat higher locations. I saw riders walking with their helmet on. But everyobdy had some destination to head for, and for a change, nobody was interested in stopping for shelter.

As we stepped on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link road, beyond the Shipping Corporation of India office, the water level had crossed 4inches. We were not feeling tired. Nobody had stepped for breath on the traffic-congested road and we continued to brisk-walk. As we walked parallel to the Powai Lake, traffic coming from IIT was moving at a snail's pace - I figured why - visibility was a low 10feet.

The rain started pouring harder. I think that side of town is a little low-lying. Water was now 2feet high. And it was tough to walk on the road. So we walked on the divider. I was able to finally spot my high-rise building. It stood out like an edifice in the rain. But I still had to turn into my lane. I felt as if I am standing in a roaring river. It was dark but thankfully there was no power failure, so I was able to make out the centre of the road and spot the whirlpools made by the open manholes. I managed to wade through the thigh-high water. I held on to a bus windows' grill with one-hand as I treaded ahead slowly.

I finally made it home. Didn't take the elevator. Climbed all the way up to the 6th floor to find no one home. It was 8PM. We had walked 8km in the rain. Me was hungry. But the only choice was to catch up with my roomies. I knew where to find them. And, so I headed to IIT. My colleague decided to take the risk of heading home in the rain. There was no way any of us were coming to work the next day anyway.

At the KReSIT building, the elevators had been turned off. The water was pouring through their closed doors. I climbed another 4storeys. My mates greeted me with smiles 'We were expecting you'.

At 2100hrs, I left for home again. With the keys. Picked up some milk, bread and jam on the way. Pitied the clothstore owner opposite the IITB gate, who was desperately collecting water in buckets and throwing it out of his flooded shop. Soon, even he gave up, pulled his shutters and left. Other bystanders enjoyed their Vada Pavs and chai. It was life, as usual.