Karnataka Floods: Humbled by Mother Nature’s Fury
For the last month or so, we all have been hearing about the unprecedented rains, floods, landslides and sufferings in Kerala and Karnataka. The scale of the deluge and the damage has been massive and I got a first hand view of it when I went on a monsoon motorcycle ride to the northern edge of Kodagu and Malanadu in Karnataka.
Video Note: Watch it in 4K resolution for best quality.
I could not enter proper Kodagu (Coorg) as all roads were closed, but I could get a good feel and understanding of the prevailing conditions. Heavy rains were omnipresent, trees had fallen at a lot of places, many roads were closed either due to washed away bridges or due to landslides and where it was open, the road quality was poor or the water was flowing right under the bridge, the reservoirs were full and overflowing and in simple terms, the conditions were challenging.
While Malanadu region did not see calamities like Kerala and Kodagu, it did experience a similar amount of rainfall and suffered significantly in loss of crops and plantations. Even though I knew beforehand that the conditions would be challenging for a monsoon motorcycle ride, I had to experience this once in a lifetime event and I have to say that after experiencing it first hand, it was totally a humbling experience.
However big, strong, powerful or rich we become, we are mere pissants in front of mother nature. She patiently takes all that we throw at her and one day, she just bursts to show us her power and put us in our rightful places. During this trip, I could sense and see her wrath at many places and I have to say that it scared me at times or should I say that it brought me back to my true senses. I know I should not be saying this, but such events are necessary to restore the balance to our world and make us understand who is the real BOSS! The only good thing about natural calamities is that it brings human kind together and that there is a display of compassion, common sense, real strength and immense intelligence, which we seem to be missing from our normal day to day lives.
Do help Kerala and Karnataka in any way you can and hopefully, both these states and their people will return to normalcy soon.
