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'1 hour of travel. 3 minutes in office': Mumbai woman's monsoon ordeal sparks discussion on city's infrastructure
Reflecting on Mumbai's monsoon season, the woman said that the city seems to go through the same cycle every year despite knowing the rains are inevitable.
A Mumbai-based marketing professional's LinkedIn post about making a 1-hour trip to her office just to pick up her laptop amid heavy rains has struck a chord online, with many saying it perfectly captures the city's annual monsoon struggles.
Taking to LinkedIn, Ihina D, an IIM Raipur graduate, shared her experience after Mumbai was placed under a red alert. As the city continues to be battered by heavy rains, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has urged residents to venture out only if necessary. The Maharashtra government has also advised private firms to allow employees to work from home wherever possible.
Amidst this, Ihina D described her experience, saying that her company announced a work-from-home policy due to the weather conditions. However, she realised that she had accidentally left her laptop at the office. "Mumbai declared a red alert yesterday so WFH today. However, I had left my laptop in office," she wrote.
"So while the rest of the city was cancelling plans and pulling out raincoats, I was in a car to office like a fool," she added.
Ihina said that after she reached an almost-empty office, she picked up her laptop and left within minutes. "Picked up my laptop. Was back in the car in 3 minutes. One hour of travel. Three minutes in office," she wrote.
Reflecting on Mumbai's monsoon season, the woman said that the city seems to go through the same cycle every year despite knowing the rains are inevitable. "It's not just rain. It's a full annual shutdown that the entire city has collectively agreed to pretend isn't coming, she wrote, pointing to recurring issues such as waterlogged roads, flooded streets and last-minute work-from-home advisories.
"We know it's coming in June. We know July will be worse. And yet somehow every year it still catches us off guard," she added.
Ihina also acknowledged that unlike many office workers who could switch to WFH, millions of Mumbaikars have no such option. "I have WFH today, I got lucky. My work doesn't stop and my commute is my bedroom to my desk. But this reminded me that for millions of Mumbaikars, there's no WFH option. They showed up anyway. In the rain. On the locals. On bikes. That's not hustle culture. That's just Mumbai," she wrote.
(Also Read: 'Cost of convenience in India': Mumbai man compares ₹350 app haircut with ₹60 local salon visit, sparks discussion)
What did social media say?
The post resonated with LinkedIn users, many of whom shifted the focus from resilience to the city's recurring infrastructure issues.
One user wrote, "And yet we don't stop and ask why the infrastructure continues to be in shambles, why the time of millions who move the economy isn't valued enough. I find our collective short term memories and lack of asking for accountability a part of the reason the status quo prevails. We shrug our shoulders and keep sitting in traffic."
"The most predictable thing about Mumbai's monsoon isn't the rain-it's our surprise. We shouldn't have to rely on the resilience of millions of commuters to compensate for predictable infrastructure failures. The spirit of Mumbai deserves better planning, not just more praise," commented another.
"The exact same thing happened to me today! Was supposed to leave post lunch but here I am in office with 3 others," shared a third user.
