Floods - 1

 

This year 2022, the rains came early and like always there were reports of flooded basement,

overflowing of lake water into the roads leading to deaths. This is across India with Assam being one of the worst affected areas. My cousin had to wade through chest deep water to reach Silchar station and catch a train to reach Karimganj. I had seen floods in Assam as a child & in Mumbai as an adult.

Assam (70’s)

My earliest memory of floods was when we used to travel in July to Karimganj in Assam, which is the nearest station to my village Aylabari. The whole city & village will be under muddy water - because of all the mud flowing along with the river water.

We would get down from the train with all our luggage and start hunting for a boat. These are small boats which will then ferry us from the station to our home. These rides were fraught with tension, there were dead animals floating in the river, electric  wire dangling from the poles,  which might have got damaged due to rain.

Due to frequent floods our houses are made on top of a tilla (an artificial hill created). Each tilla houses 8 families - all our relatives, uncles & aunts, nephews & nieces would be staying. Almost like a joint family but each of them are also an independent unit. As a 10 year old I will eat breakfast somewhere, lunch somewhere else, climb the jackfruit tree and break open the jackfruit and have it write under the tree along with my cousins, swim in a pond - I had free access to everyone's’ house and kitchen.

During floods, the boat would reach just at the bottom of the tilla and we would climb up and finally reach home. Most houses prepare themselves for the floods by storing the basics groceries & dry fish and other herbs and spices so that they can manage for a few days. For longer duration of floods people passing by on boats are requested to get some other essentials like medicine or kerosene. Being a small village of 50 families - most of them migrated from Bangladesh - everyone knew everyone else. 

As kids the necessities were our parents' departments, we kids were more excited about fishing, which for someone like me who is visiting from a town was a unique experience. Baba was adept in cutting bamboo trees & making whatever you demand. He would make fishing rods out of the bamboo and we kids would carry these like a gun on our shoulder and head for the flooded areas which are near the village pond with the assumption that fishes from ponds would have flown out. 

The first task was to get hold of a basket full of earthworms, which we will dig into the mud and scoop them out. Then we will put them in our hook, throw the wire into water  and wait for the tugs by the fish. We will all spread out so that our lines don’t get jumbled up. The magical moment is when you feel the tug and jerk the wire out fast so that the fish is hooked. Most of the time the fish would nibble at the bait and go away but the magical moment was when you pull the string and see a fish dangling at the end. A separate basket is kept with water where the fish is transferred so that fish is alive till we take it back home. 

Muddy & drenched when the group reached home - we did a victory lap on the courtyard and display of wares which would then be consumed for dinner. In villages nothing goes wasted. We had the bilai (cat) to finish off the bones and sleep peacefully next to the earthen stove and we in the next room.

Day 15: 200 words/day challenge; 634 words (Back after a 14 hiatus)