There is a depression over the southwest of Bay of Bengal, around 400 km east-southeast of Chennai, but Chennaites are not depressed.
According to the Meteorological Department, these depressions are likely to intensify further and move in a northwesterly direction and bring in more showers, and thunder showers in many parts of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.
So what, asks water starved Chennaites.
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Perhaps, only this city will react to the news of more thunder showers this way.
Even those who live in the low lying areas had the same reaction.
"Let there be more thunder showers. Let us hope we will have enough water till next monsoon," they say.
The spell of rain that started on the afternoon of October 26, continues unabated till now (1:30 pm the following day).
As one ventures out to experience the rain in Chennai, one found that most of the roads are devoid of vehicles as almost all schools and most companies have declared a holiday.
The roads that witness bumper to bumper traffic everyday are deserted.
Chennai is more or less flat, yet the roads have small gradients at places. Wherever the roads are low, there is knee-deep or waist deep water; the result -- many vehicles that broke down have been abandoned on the roads.
An auto rickshaw driver contemptuously looked at the broken-down vehicles and said, "Why cannot these people do something before the monsoon starts so that this can be avoided? I have repaired my vehicle in such a way that even if it is fully under water, it will run."
But he refused to divulge the secret.
The one irritating aspect of having thunder showers is that the road surface has taken a beating. Potholes have turned into huge craters. The few motorists on the road are scared of unseen potholes below the murky water.
Rain is always associated with children playing out in the open but one could hardly see any on the road.
Most of the residential areas have waist deep water. And, in certain areas like Virugambakkam, there is no power as well.
Those who are not smiling are the shop owners in T Nagar. They have been waiting for the festival season to start and people to rush for Diwali shopping. But it was not to be so. The otherwise busy area is devoid of people or vehicles.
A cracker shop owner said with a grim face, "We make some money only during Diwali. Of course, Chennai needs water but what about our livelihood? Cracker sales have been very bad this year. Lets hope the weekends are brighter."
A breeze has started building up. Will this turn into a cyclone?
Chennai is apprehensive, and people are waiting
More rain forecast in flooded Karnataka
Images: Hard rain still pummels India
Maharashtra rains
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