The Wheel of Cyclone by Amitabh Ghosh

 

On the afternoon of March 17,1978. the weather took an odd turn in north Delhi. Mid-march is usually a nice time of year in that part of India: the chill of winter is gone and the blazing heat of summer is yet to come; die sky is clear and monsoon is faraway. But that day dark clouds appeared suddenly and there were squalls of rain. Then followed an even bigger surprise: a hailstorm.

I was then studying for an MA at Delhi University while also working as a part-time journalist. When the hailstorm broke, I was in a library. I had planned to stay late, but the unseasonal weather led to a change of mind and I decided to leave. I was on my way back to my room when, on an impulse, I changed direction and dropped in on a friend. But the weather continued to worsen as we were chatting, so after a few minutes. I decided to head straight back by a route that I rarely had occasion to take.

I had just passed a busy intersection called Maurice Nagar when I heard a rumbling sound somewhere above. Glancing over my shoulder I saw a gray, tube-like extrusion forming on the underside of a dark cloud: it grew rapidly as I watched, and then all of a sudden it turned and came whiplashing down to earth, heading in my direction.

Across the street lay a large administrative building. I sprinted over and headed toward what seemed to be an entrance. But the glass-fronted doors were shut, and a small crowd stood huddled outside, in the shelter of an overhang. There was no room for me there so I ran around to the front of the building. Spotting a small balcony, 1 jumped over the parapet and crouched on the floor.

The noise quickly rose to a frenzied pitch, and the wind began to tug fiercely at my clothes. Stealing a glance over the parapet. I saw, to my astonishment, that my surroundings had been darkened by a churning cloud or dust. In the dim glow that was shining down from above, I saw an extraordinary' panoply of objects flying past-bicycles, scooters, lampposts, sheets of corrugated iron, even entire tea stalls. In that instant, gravity itself seemed to have been transformed into a wheel spinning upon die fingertip of some unknown power.

I buried my head in my arms and lay still. Moments later the noise died down and was replaced by an eerie silence. When at last 1 climbed out of the balcony, I was confronted by a scene of devastation such as I had never before beheld. Buses lay overturned, scooters sat perched on treetops, walls had been ripped out of buildings, exposing interiors in which ceiling fans had been twisted into tulip-like spirals. The place where I had first thought to take shelter, the glass-fronted doorway had been reduced to a jumble of jagged debris. The panes had shattered and many people had been wounded by the shards. I realized that I too would have been among die injured had I remained there. I walked away in a daze.

Long afterward. I am not sure exactly when or where I hunted down the Times of India’s New Delhi edition of March 18,1 still have the photocopies, I made of it. “30 dead”, says the banner headline, “700 Hurt as Cyclone Hits North Delhi.”

Answer the following questions:

1. What do you mean by the title “The Great Derangement”? What reasons are there for our environment to be deranged?

Answer: "The Great Derangement" refers to the idea that our natural environment has been significantly disturbed or altered, often due to human activities. This could be through climate change, deforestation, or pollution, which leads to unpredictable and extreme weather events, such as the cyclone described in the excerpt. The environmental imbalance caused by human actions is what leads to such derangement or chaos in nature.

2. Describe the weather of 17th March 1978 in your own words.

Answer: The weather on 17th March 1978 was unusually violent and unexpected for that time of year. Typically, mid-March in north Delhi is a pleasant time, neither too cold nor too hot, with clear skies. However, on this day, dark clouds suddenly appeared, followed by squalls of rain. To everyone’s surprise, a hailstorm followed, and the weather continued to worsen, turning dangerous with the appearance of a cyclone.

3. What job did the author do while studying in Delhi?

Answer: While studying for his MA at Delhi University, the author also worked as a part-time journalist.

4. What steps did the author take to save himself when the cyclone hit North Delhi?

Answer: When the cyclone hit, the author first tried to take shelter inside a building but found the doors shut and no room for him with the crowd. He then ran around to the front of the building, spotted a small balcony, and jumped over the parapet to take shelter there. He crouched on the floor to protect himself from the fierce wind and flying debris.

5. Did you ever see any natural calamity around you? Describe what you saw in your own words.

Answer: Yes, I once witnessed a heavy flood in my area. The rain had been incessant for several hours, and the streets began to fill with water. Vehicles were stranded, and many homes near the riverbank were submerged. People were evacuating their homes with belongings in hand, and the sound of the rushing water was deafening. It was an overwhelming sight, as nature’s power felt uncontrollable.

6. Why did the author decide to leave the library earlier than planned?

The author decided to leave the library earlier than planned because of the sudden change in weather. The unseasonal hailstorm made him reconsider his plan, and he chose to go back to his room instead of staying in the library. 

7. Where did the author try to seek shelter initially, and what happened there?

The author first tried to take shelter at a large administrative building. He ran toward its glass-fronted entrance, where a small crowd was already waiting. However, there was no room for him there, so he had to find another place to hide.  

8. Why did he feel fortunate about his choice of shelter?

Ghosh felt lucky that he had not stayed near the glass-fronted doorway because if he had, he would have been badly injured like the others. Instead, he had chosen to crouch on a small balcony, which kept him safe from the flying glass and other dangerous debris. 

9. What did Ghosh witness after the cyclone ended?

After the cyclone ended, Ghosh saw a scene of complete destruction. Buses were overturned, scooters were stuck in treetops, and entire walls had been ripped off buildings. He noticed that ceiling fans inside the buildings had been twisted into strange, flower-like shapes due to the powerful winds.

10. What are the main themes found in this poem? 

The major themes of the story are the power of nature, human vulnerability, and the unpredictability of our life. It shows how nature can suddenly turn destructive, leaving people helpless. It also highlights the idea that no matter how advanced humans are, they cannot be prepared for a sudden natural disaster.