Random Elephants, Pouring Rain, Indian Independence

I have finally arrived in Delhi, moved into my apartment and finished the long process of getting a cellphone and internet access at my place. On the 20th it'll be two months since I have been here, and it seems like I still know nothing about this place. I still experience things that I have never seen or done before. The other day I was going to a friend's house in the pouring rain at night. Out of nowhere I see an elephant crossing the street. This is not some random street or some small side street. This is a main street like Sunset or Ventura Blvd, full of people crossing the street, cars and trucks stuck in traffic and an elephant is crossing the street. I have no idea where that elephant came from, I have no idea where it was going. But it was there. If that wasn't random enough, the streets of Delhi do not have a good system for water drainage. So when it rains here, especially right now since it is the end of the monsoon season, the streets just get swamped with water, mud and dirt. At one point the sidewalks were so flooded I literally walked about 2 blocks in water that was up to my knees. I was convinced that I was going to get malaria. And this occurred this one random night when I decided to go to a friends house.
This week is the week of August 15. Indian Independence Day. This whole city has been gearing up for this day and theres supposed to be some amazing parade near the Parliamentary Building and city. As of today there are police everywhere with guns patrolling the streets. I have almost explored this whole city and hopefully I'll see all of it by the end of this weekend.