As the first pre-monsoon showers settle the summer dust, Bhopals seasonal rhythm begins to shift. Weekend plans turn outward. Jeeps are taken out, WhatsApp groups are revived, and picnic spots start filling up with chatter and food baskets. For many in the city, the monsoon is not a time to stay indoors. Its when the outdoors call. This instinct to head into the wilderness is almost cultural. Some trace it back to the citys nawabi past, when the ruling elite would retreat to forested areas around Bhopal for hunting and leisure. Others say its simply what Bhopalis have always done when the weather turns. The crowd may have changed—from nobles to nuclear families, groups of college students, or old school friends—but the impulse remains the same. Kolar, Kerwa, Halali, and Ajnal dams are popular destinations, as are nearby waterfalls like Blue Water or Chhoti Pachmarhi, and the scenic outbacks of Chiklod, Bakalia, and Kachnariya. Picnics take different forms. Some are full-scale dawats, with chicken being stirred in aluminium deghs over portable stoves. Others are gots, where each family or friend contributes something. Increasingly common is the one-dish picnic, driven by convenience and cost. But the monsoons loosened energy often comes with an edge. Over the years, several lives have been lost at these very picnic spots, often due to drowning or reckless driving. On May 28 this year, Aman Vishwakarma, an 18-year-old ITI student, drowned at Kerwa Dam. He didnt know how to swim but entered the water anyway. His body was recovered hours later. Earlier, on April 5, the body of a young man was found in the Ghoda Pachhad Dam in Bilkhiriya. He had gone missing days earlier. His parked motorcycle, still near the dam, helped police identify him. Family members said he was under stress after losing his job. Halali Dam too saw a double drowning recently. On June 3, Firoz Khan (23) and Shahzad Khan (33), both from Bhopal, were cleaning utensils near the water when they slipped in. They were part of a larger group. By the time others realised they were missing, it was too late. Older cases still linger in public memory. In July 2017, Shahnawaz Khan, 20, drowned in Ajnal Dam while trying to swim back from across the water during a picnic. And in 2019, Rizwan Khan, a 35-year-old school bus driver, died in Kolar after saving his three children from being swept away by floodwaters. He managed to lift them to safety but couldnt get out himself. These are not isolated incidents. Police data, when available, shows a consistent pattern: drowning deaths spike in and around Bhopal during the monsoon months. Yet preventive measures remain minimal. There are no lifeguards at these sites, no warning systems, and often not even a basic signboard. Rowdy driving, drunk swimming, and misjudged bravado combine with poor infrastructure to make for a dangerous mix. Yet these trips continue, year after year. Perhaps they will continue. But it may be time for Bhopals authorities to treat the monsoon picnic not as a private leisure activity, but as a seasonal event on the citys cultural calendar—one that deserves planning, presence, and basic protections. Until then, the countryside will keep filling with laughter, lunchboxes, and the occasional ambulance siren.

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