In Greek mythology, Poseidon is the creator of storms and floods. He is a disruptive ancient God who brings earthquakes and destruction to the world. Its Roman equivalent is Neptune. In Indian Mythology, Indradev, the king of the Gods, is the God of rain and thunder.

Indradev doesn’t seem to be happy with Indians. Floods have devastated many Indian states. From Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, to Uttarakhand, to Himachal Pradesh, to Maharashtra, to Delhi and for some reason, less mentioned Haryana, lives have been lost, livelihoods destroyed.

More than 100 people died in the flash floods in Dharali village in Uttarakhand. We don’t have the official number even after a month. Flash floods have destroyed Himachal Pradesh’s largest apple market in Kullu. Monsoon fury has caused widespread devastation, and hundreds of people have lost their lives. Floods have destroyed crops across thousands of hectares in Marathwada, Maharashtra.

Punjab is facing the worst floods in nearly four decades: crops on thousands of acres of land have been damaged; more than a thousand villages have been submerged. Fields that once fed the people of India are buried under water. There is a popular Hindi song by Jawed Akhtar, “panchi nadia pawan key jhonkey, koi sarhad na inhe rokey (Birds, rivers and winds cannot be stopped by borders).” We knew about birds and winds, the river Ravi has proved him right once again. 3o km of iron fencing between the two Punjabs ( Indian and Pakistani) has been washed away by the fury of the river.

Many roads across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) turned into rivers after a few hours of rain. Stories of stuck cars and traffic jams lasting for hours were all over social media. For our private vehicle-dependent, weak public transport cities, it is horrible news. Humans and stray animals are suffering.

People residing in low-lying areas have shifted to safer locations as a preventive measure. These are some pictures I clicked in July 2023 in NOIDA in nearly the same situation.

Over the years, in various flooding events, millions were rendered homeless, and many were killed. It won’t stop if we carry on this massive “infrastructure” growth. Infrastructure is not just roads; our drainage system needs attention. There are bigger priorities than saving some transport time. We need a sound drainage system, a “Drainage India” mission. A huge budget needs to be allocated for this mission. Roads save time and might make life a bit easier, but at what cost? We also make life riskier for the vulnerable in the process. Land is being reclaimed from the sea, and riverbeds are being encroached upon in the name of ‘development and beautification’. Every other day, we read about proposals to cut trees to widen roads. Humans are the intruders; nature is fighting back.

For those who haven’t heard the story or have forgotten it, there is a story associated with young Krishna. People of Vrindavan used to offer prayers and make offerings to Indradev. Lord Krishna suggested they should worship Mount Govardhan instead of Indra, because it provided them with food, water, and shelter for their cattle. People of Vrindavan loved and trusted Krishna; they followed his advice. They started worshipping Govardhan instead of Indra. The proud deity’s ego was hurt, and he sent massive storms, heavy rains and thunder over Vrindavan. It led to floods and destruction. People were terrified, and they rushed to Krishna for protection. Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill on his little finger and held it like a giant umbrella. The people of Vrindavan, along with their cattle, took shelter under the Govardhan hill. They were saved from the rage of Indra. It won’t be long before someone important suggests that we should pray to Govardhan Girdhari(The one who holds the Govardhan mountain ), if we want to be saved from the floods and rains. Those in power appear to be taking the same route.

A gentleman in power recently made a statement about flood waters entering the homes of people-“Mother Ganga comes to wash the feet of Ganga-putras, Ganga-putras go straight to heaven.” The funnier part of this statement was that the concerned person didn’t realise that he was talking about the river Ganga in the area affected by the flooding of the river Yamuna.

Photos and text by Prerna Jain.