Sun Comes Out

The sun finally came out, though I am not sure if it is too late to prevent a Megaflood that everyone keeps talking about. The big floods are determined by the level of the major rivers when they crest for the season. With floods ongoing in Assam and Nepal, I can't help being pessimistic.

Then of course a lot of people are already suffering. Last Wednesday I was at my friend Bappu's office when his phone rang. It was his friend from Sirajganj, on the western side of the Jamuna. The friend was calling from the second floor of his house - the ground floor was already submerged. Ouch.

Nevertheless the sun did come out yesterday and today. Here are some pictures from a short trip I made to Sylhet the last two days.

Train crossing through paddy field near Habiganj. When we Sylhet division and entered Brahman Baria, the paddies were replaced by miles of water.



Clothes being dried in the sun. As soon as the sun came out, people frantically started drying things. On the highway, they sometimes took over small rectangular patches to dry fresh-cut paddy - leaving just enough room for a bus or car to pass. They also dried lots of wood, skewered patties of cow-dung, and a reed-like plant used to make string and rope.



Sun peeking through the trees at a tomb in Pir Moholla, Sylhet. Hajrat Shah Jalal, the famous holy man of Sylhet, had his first base around here.



View of the Khasi-Jaintiya Hills (in Meghalaya) from Tamabil road.