BENGALURU: Bookworm, the iconic bookshop on Church Street, saw nearly 5,000 books destroyed after rainwater gushed into the shop within minutes.Proprietor Krishna Gowda said, “The hailstones clogged the drainage outlets, and almost instantly, water started pouring in from all sides,” he said. By 5.30pm, shelves that once held stories, ideas and memories were soaked, with thousands of books — like The Penguin Book Of Indian Poets, Cubbon Park by Roopa Pai and Percy Jackson & the Olympians — beyond repair. The titles span history, philosophy, biographies and more. While the financial hit is estimated at Rs 14 lakh, he said the real loss is immeasurable. “Books carry knowledge, emotion and years of effort. That’s what hurts the most.”Metro stations flooded, tree falls at KSR stationPublic transport took a hit as flooding choked key transit points across Bengaluru. In the south, waterlogging around Jayadeva Hospital Metro station left roads toward Silk Board partly non-motorable, forcing traffic into a single lane.Silk Board Metro station premises were also inundated, worsening congestion, especially with the double-decker flyover shut. At KSR railway station, a fallen tree near the entry damaged parked vehicles.Internet outages in offices, homesIn several areas, uprooted trees brought down overhead cables, snapping connectivity at the peak of workday.“Today, Bengaluru received its official first rain, and it’s absolutely wild! Leaves are flying, trees are splitting, internet cables are destroyed, and there is silent thunder,” an X user from Gandhinagar posted.In the CBD, those working from home and offices struggled to stay online, with many turning to mobile hotspots.Rainwater enters corridors of powerNot just the city roads, the corridors of Vidhana Soudha were also waterlogged after the heavy rains. Rainwater gushed into offices on the second and third floors of Vidhana Soudha—which include offices of most ministers, their secretaries, and even the offices of opposition leaders and legislative party offices.170 trees, 408 branches fallA total of 170 trees and 408 branches were reported fallen across the city as of 8.30pm Wednesday. The central zone reported the highest damage, with 67 trees and 131 branches down, followed by west zone with 55 trees and 121 branches. The lowest impact was in east zone, with just one tree and four branches.Civic authorities received over 500 calls, with some residents also lodging complaints via WhatsApp. Officials said heavy cloud movement was first observed in the east before it shifted towards central, south and west zones. In the evening, a tree fell on a woman residing in Kaval Byrasandra, injuring her head. Officials said she was taken to a nearby hospital.Cutout of late actor crashes on Magadi RoadFollowing a tree fall, a giant cutout of late actor Vishnuvardhan fell near Prasanna theatre on Magadi Road around 5.40pm, briefly disrupting traffic movement, traffic police said. “All the obstacles at the spot were cleared by 6.20pm and traffic flow returned to normal,” an officer said.
