Sunday, July 12, 2009

Pune Flooded

Of joys departed, not to return, how painful the remembrance

-- Robert Blair


It is July 12th, but the year is 1961!

Pune is under a spell of incessant rains that continue to lash without any respite. The sheer volume of water causes the Khadakvasala and Panshet dams to burst open. Instantly, half of Pune lies submerged. Over 2000 people lose their lives in this calamity and more than 100,000 families stand displaced.

Today, 48 years later, the memory lives on, serving as an ominous reminder of nature's fury.

This post pays homage to the people who lost their lives, their significant others, their homes and all that mattered in life!

29 comments:

  1. This reminds me of the Tsunami, which we had in Chennai a few years back. I was away to Tiruvannamalai on that day, but the news shocked me to no bounds! It is chilling indeed, natures ways,

    Destination Infinity

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  2. That's great of you to remind! first i thought pune flooded 'currently'.

    Seems dams in Karnataka are raising to rain and it gets hope we receive water in cauvery soon.

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  3. Thats fantastic
    that you remind us!!
    Great post ....

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  4. and yet we don't learn..why blame it all on nature..when has our infrastructure been in place??..the Bhopal gas tragedy-the metro rail collapse yesterday, pune floods-mumbai floods, bombay '91-gujarat'06..yeah..its a cruel game we're mastering and getting perfect at!

    Can the State please comfortably go to hell?

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  5. I hope and pray that we are better prepared today for a calamity of the same scale. Unfortunately even a small shower puts most places under water. Unplanned growth and lack of supervision are to blame.

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  7. Yea dude, the homage part is right. Im in Mumbai and I saw wot happened one day on the 26th of July a few yrs back.
    The angry rain goddess had bought along Maa Kali with her....after bhadakoing her. And they both danced here full throttle. It was hell.

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  8. Nice post..
    Thanks for reminding mate..

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  9. I think we have to live with memories of flood in the coming years...Rain is testing too much, atleast here..it was so cloudy for almost three days now...and its drizzled..not a bucket full we got...

    but the worst part is Delhi floods if it rains good for one night! :)

    But now -- its like I really hope in the coming time we don't have to pay homage to lives taken by the drought...we have faced that in the past too, though

    wishes,
    devika

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  10. amen

    but somehow we never seem to learn from our mistakes and thrive on passing the buck in the decaying babudom

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  11. good reminder to all!

    but humans hardly learn...

    Keshi.

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  12. phew some how i missed the date line... and for a minute it gave me the chills... I just dropped my wife and kid in train to pune...

    phew... !!!

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  13. How !! How !!! How do you remember all this ?? You shouldve tried the IAS !!!

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  14. really sad, i heard in news that even Mumbai has been flooded as ever, they showed clips of Jalsa being flooded and also juhu. The Govt has to do somethinhg abt it.

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  15. DI

    Yes, the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean was a calamity like none other!
    I vividly recall the day and the grim events that it came to be known for!

    Rakesh

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  16. Jeevan

    In fact hitchwriter too thought it was current! Luckily not.....!
    Currently Pune is under a spell of rains for over 40 hours now!

    Rakesh

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  17. Swati

    Quite true.....we do not seem to learn one bit from the past.....what use is it then to be what we claim to be?

    Yes, can the State please comfortably go to hell?

    Rakesh

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  18. AJ

    Lets hope so....although I'm fairly certain that we truly are not!

    Rakesh

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  19. Andy

    Yes, I vividly remember 26 July 2005!
    Hopefully a repeat does not occur!

    How is the situation currently.....I hope it isn't bad!

    Rakesh

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  20. Devika Chechi

    Yes, rains are always elusive in Delhi and so much a welcome considering the excruciating temperatures!

    Like you said, lets hope the drought does not consume people this time around!

    Rakesh

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  21. Magiceye

    Quite right.....learning it seems is a process that never is embarked upon!

    God save us!

    Rakesh

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  22. Keshi

    Thanks!

    Yes, we hardly do learn and thus make our lives miserable!

    Rakesh

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  23. Hitchwriter

    My apologies for having scared you! Fortunately, the event is not current, although Pune is under a spell of rains for over 40 hours now!

    Rakesh

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  24. Vimmuuu

    Lol! The IAS was indeed on my wishlist a long time ago......!

    Rakesh

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  25. Venky

    Quite sad! Mumbai is reeling under the threat of floods currently and one hopes that a repeat of 26 July 2005 does not occur!
    Sadly, there is no system in place to counter the threat!

    Rakesh

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  26. Survivor

    Me too, until I read it up over the web last weekend!

    Rakesh

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