Diaster Tourism (Part--2)

Our Bungalow was like this 

In no time , within two hours the swamp dividing the circle compound & tracks of railway station were all flooded & the flood water was walloping our kitchen garden . Now everybody present had turned into zombies ,engrossed deep into thoughts , had only brisk walk towards their destined abode .The whole swamp dividing Railway premises & circle compound had full of water born aquatic plant floating ,known as 'jal kumbhi' with thick glossy ovate leaves .

                                   I don't know why it happens during impending flood atmosphere becomes very still & the sky becomes hazy. The haziness of the sky & stillness of atmosphere is comprehensible but as every living specie of nature goes in stupor & eerie silence envelops , perhaps due to coming of impending disaster. Only the sound of bumble bee comes in the ear ,perhaps from inside !

                                I was just trotting behind mother ,watching what she does but it was not  important to me as everybody coming in my view was restless & stupefied . Every body of staff quarter which was built in row ,every human being was searching high place to keep removable wares to safeguard it from flood water . The swamp was filled with water & was ready to gobble up our kitchen garden ,rather ankle deep water was wetting the foot & in no time water level had gone up to the knee .The plinth height of our bungalow was two feet & plus & so was the plinth height of staff quarters  . The whole day I was  running to front veranda & inner courtyard to gauge water level till it was impossible to run !

                               The fateful evening came ,I at least didn't know ,up to which point water level will stop as it was gaining height like inflating balloon . Papa had gone to office as it was on the fringe of circle campus. The whole infrastructure  of circle was bequeathed by Darbhanga raj after the removal of zamindari system .

                               This story of flood is of 1954 & now in the advent of every flood disaster ,sky becomes full of humming choppers distributing relief packets or acrobatic manoeuver of NDRF team performing rescue act .In the flood of Surat in 1968 , no acrobatism from sky & no  question of connectivity from any side .Only people were helping each other or allowed the victims of flood to fend themselves .In 1954 , the remote place like Janjharpur went very dark in the twilight .In the night it was pitch dark with ominous eerie  silence all around. The ceiling height was hardly ten feet to eleven feet & water entered in our house up to chest height . Mother with the help peons put a chowki over two chowkies , thinking water level will not exceed eight feet & if it goes above it, only God will help ! But thankfully water level became still between four to five feet .The flickering flame of kerosene lantern was our source of light & Primus  stove was kept on the wooden chowki with related paraphernalia  for cooking facility !

                                     But the shrieking sound coming from far & distant places in punctuated waves was unnerving .What was the time in the night I didn't know ,just dozing & sitting tight ,holding mother well stupefied .The gurgle sound somewhere,the splashing sound somewhere were there but most unnerving sound of screaming cry coming in waves from distant places in local colloquial lingo "Dublaun Re Baap"with repeating frequency was heart rendering . I feel unable to describe it only visualized it ,when gushing flood water entering the low shanties , nariah tiled houses , long poisonous serpents trying to inhabit human beings spawning more terror . Who knows , it was the last cry of the victim before drowning himself in gushing water . The intermittent coming  cry numbed my feeling ,  & when I went in to deep slumber well atrophied ,I didn't know !

Continued..........