Joy Amidst Storm

It was November 2017. A month that can never be forgotten by many Chennaites. The Vardha Storm was constantly blowing off every obstacle in its path.

We were one of the luckiest families who didn't face many difficulties. We had a roof over our head and hot, steamy food that filled our stomachs. However, we didn't have electricity for 2 days and all the digital gadgets lay dead at the corner of the house. There was no Instagram to check other's stories, no Whatsapp to text our friends, no Facebook to share our darkness-induced-photographic art.

My father, mother, sister and I stayed huddled near the balcony looking at the whirring winds and slowly weakening trees. Normally, when the digital world abandoned me, I sought solace in my magical lands of novel. But, alas, there was no way to read in the candlelight without getting my ears twisted by my mother.

So, I did the one thing that I never imagined myself doing. I cleaned or tried to clean, the rack which held all my old toys and junk. I came across a Ludo and Chessboard set that was dusty. After cleaning them, I went to my dad.

My parents were working professionals who I saw seldom in my home. My sister was 7 years older than me and so, we rarely spent time together. It felt really weird to be huddled for 3 days with all of them, doing nothing but chatting about old memories. The first 2 days were spent mostly on phone and hidden moments with Tinkle comics. 

When the phone died and every other form of entertainment was cut off, then only did we truly appreciate the other's presence. The day dragged on with hours of playing Ludo while listening to the whirring sound of the wind; periodical praying to ensure others are not in too much trouble; eating hot food which was in stark contrast to the outside world. A day ran fast, but we didn't miss out on anything. We had fun and we enjoyed, even in the darkest moments.

That day is probably my most favorite of all the fun moments with my family. Sure... We have gone on several trips and vacations, done many activities together. Not even in the corner of my mind, could I find a day where we relaxed amongst a raging war. 

The storm, sure, uprooted many lives, but it rooted ours firmly back to the ground. And I could never be more thankful.