Mumbai monsoon wear : experiences

The rainy season in Mumbai is a particularly challenging one. One has to be fully equipped to just get by. Most of the problems are faced by people who commute. Like delayed or no train services, flooded streets, and open manholes. To add to it, on some days, there are heavy rains accompanied by strong winds.

All this makes it tricky to decide how to commute. Some experiences:

Commuting:
Taking the suburban local train to commute can be quite frustrating. Trains, especially on the Central Railway (CR), are often delayed. Half-an-hour of rain is enough to delay services on the CR. The excuse, often read in newspapers, is that CR runs through areas that are low-lying. The tracks get flooded.

It seems that the problem is not that of tracks getting washed away or that of trains being derailed, but is that of an electrical nature. The rain water causes the signal circuitry to be completed triggering off the same conditions that are used to detect a train crossing over a signal point. This causes all the signals to be red - causing ambiguity as to whether a train is present on the next section, or whether the signal has turned red because of the water.
(In long-distance trains, it is then left to the guard to decide whether to break the signals. The pilot has to get the guard to sign an "ok to proceed" order before breaking the red signal. In the suburban section, however, I think other rules may be followed since this is such a common occurrence during the monsoons.) Obviously, the motorman has to pilot the train slowly since there might really be another train ahead. The leads to delays.

Commuting by buses is the safest option. This was also demonstrated during the 26th July 2005 deluge. Any other mode of transport, especially rickshaws, could cause trouble since a lot of water does really get collected in the so-called "low-lying" areas. Of course, the problem is that there are no gutters or the ones that are there are clogged. The slope of the road does not seem to favor water draining into the drains.

Rain protection:
This one is a favorite one. There are many options: umbrellas, raincoats, jackets, jackets + rain-proof trousers.

Umbrellas are the most popular ones: one can fold them and carry them; there are ones that are really small when folded. However, the biggest problem is that Mumbai winds and rains are enough to drench one waist downwards. In practice, the head is the one and only part of the body that the umbrellas prevent from being wet. Besides, when its windy, it is difficult to keep the umbrella straight...it is always blown over.

Over the years, I've tried almost all of these options. When I was a kid, the raincoat was the preferred form of rain protection. The raincoat that was usually made from some plastic material. Though they protect the clothes from being wet, the raincoat made it difficult to walk. In addition, if it did not rain, one would feel very hot wearing a raincoat. Another problem was that since it was made from plastic, it would tear.

For many years when I started working, I used the folding umbrella. While it was easy to carry, it made me wet almost completely in a heavy shower. A few years ago I switched to a rain jacket. The jacket was a cheaper one made of 2 layers of plastic. This one gets torn quickly if one is not careful. However, it did a good job in keeping me dry. The problem is that when it does not rain, I find myself wet due to heavy sweating. I am aware that there are some expensive ones available (Dockers, etc.) that I haven't tried. These seem comfortable and also seem to keep one dry.

The wind cheaters are better in this regard. They do not feel hot when it does not rain. However, they are not effective at all in keeping out the rain - heavy showers ensure that water gets in making one wet completely.

Though jackets protect the upper part of the body, it does not protect the lower part. To do so, I started using a rain trouser. This trouser is usually worn on top of the regular trousers. This, in combination with the jacket, does a perfect job in keeping me dry. The problem is that of putting on the rain trouser when it starts raining. If I wear it before I venture outdoors, it feels very hot if it does not rain.

Footwear:
Footwear is very important during the rains. Especially considering that one has to sometimes walk through ankle-deep waters. The water that gets collected on the streets usually is dirty - one can sometimes see floating garbage in the water...not to mention all the other things the water would be mixed up with. In all cases, it is essential to wash one's feet properly when one reaches back home.


As a kid, I have used "gum boots". These are boots that are ankle-high. They are water proof, and extremely rugged. The problem is that if one wades through water that is more than the height of the boots, all the water would enter the boots. One has to then drain the water off - the boots would continue to make a "slish-slosh" sound till they have water in them. The gum boots would cause "shoe bite", and feel extremely hot if it did not rain.

Open sandals are another option that I've tried. These feel nice even if it does not rain. Even if one has to wade through water, the open sandals let the water drain out. That way, both the sandals and the feet dry up quickly. However, the slightest water collected on the street comes in direct contact with the feet, making one feel quite dirty.

Closed shoes offer some more options. I've tried various types: sports shoes, all-weather shoes, and the rubber ones. This year, I tried the closed rubber shoe variety - a very cheap one made by Lakhani Shoes (only about Rs. 110). While I was apprehensive, they did offer me the best protection on most days. If there is a lot of water, these shoes fail to keep the water out, but on most days, the water level isn't that high...and I found these to offer the best for the cost. The only problem was the initial "shoe bite" that I had to endure, but at the end of this rainy season, the shoes look good enough to offer service for another season too.

Some years ago I had tried an "all-weather shoe" made by Bata (Power range). Though it felt very comfortable, it failed to last even a single season. It tore off. Also, it failed to keep the feet dry if it rained heavily. And once the shoes became wet, they did not dry off quickly.

Convo over...

Its official...the "Master of Technology" degree was conferred on me by the IIT Bombay in its 46th Convocation ceremony held on 08.08.08, in its golden jubilee year. The chief guest was the President of India (Smt. Pratiba Patil).