More on rains!

Well well........after having spoken so much about the chaos that rains caused in Mumbai, I felt sort of guilty about having spoken only about their disastrous side.....because, try as I might, I could never bring myself to say that I have had enough of the rains...........I didn't even feel that animosity towards the rains after 26/7. I am a total fan of the monsoons....

Probably a part of my affinity to the monsoons comes from the fact that I always spent my school summer vacations here in Mumbai and that coincides with the monsoons....so my stay in Mumbai has always been during this season and hence I've never seen any other facet of this place............

Also, Dubai is more or less devoid of rains.......if we're lucky, we'd have about 3 showers in a year.....heavy yes, but extremely infrequent, fun yes, but far too less to write home about. So, I've always been drawn to the rains......

And I'm yet to see someone who doesn't like the rains per se........there are people who may not like getting wet in the rains or who may be averse to the muddy slush that runs all over the place, but I don't think there could be anyone who would look out of the window in the rains and say, "How Gross!" or someone who doesn't enjoy a cup of piping hot "chai" with equally steaming hot pakodas. or someone who doesn't like to cosy up with family for a fun game of cards while it's pouring like crazy outside. Rains are always a delight......for everyone.....

The first rains when the skies open their heart out and soak the parched land and soil with the first drops of heavenly water............that intoxicating aroma of the earth taking it in greedily and gleefully.......the young and the old all looking up at the sky in excitement and welcoming the first shower......old people welcome it with a broad, all-knowing smile on their wrinkled faces, the young welcome it a little more boisterously, sometimes with a little clumsy jig while the little ones are already out on the roads throwing up their arms to the skies in uncontrollable glee! The whole atmosphere of the first shower of the year is one of happiness and joy!

And then, slowly, people get accustomed to carrying their umbrellas and windcheaters..........the first week, its not at all unusual to find people on the road running for cover the moment it starts raining because they forget to carry their "monsoon accessories" along with them......and then, the numbers dwindle until only those persons get wet in the rain who couldn't be bothered about their health and throw caution to the winds only to enjoy in the rain. I must say I always wish I could be one of them but............no chance! As the weather stabilises, people learn to gauge when its safe to leave home and when its time to say the byes at work and get back into the safety of the four walls of their house........they learn to identify when the heavens are going to get furious and lash out at the earth and when the skies are going to be calm and give them an all clear day!

The monsoons create the perfect aura for a romantic holiday and many couples take full advantage of it....it's the ambience it creates that really turns most people on!! Monsoons exemplify moods......it has romance on its best days, good cheer and mischief on the days it rains off and on, depression and gloom on an exceptionally dull cloudy day, exhilaration, anxiety and excitement when its cloudy one moment and sunny the next.....if you really take a close look, the monsoons have it all!!!!!!

But for me, the monsoons are God's way of reminding people of the beauty of nature. Its his way of making us notice all the wonderful artwork he's created for us. For me, on any given day, the best pastime is to stare out of the window and take in all the sights......be it the tall trees outseide, the Mumbai traffic, the distant Ghats, the tall buildings or anything.....this hobby is further indulged in the monsoons and I guess if I'm not stopped, I could spend the whole day just staring out of the same window.....looking at the same things.....but things that looks different every moment.......like the raindrops falling on the tree-leaves, taking a different shape every moment creating that mesmerising glazed effect; like the leaves falling to the ground creating a collage of sorts; like the clouds drifting aimlessly through the sky wondering where to explode next; like the sun trying its level best to peep out from between the clouds at the first opportunity it gets; like the birds huddling in the trees for shelter and taking occasional peek upwards to check if the coast is clear for them to take flight to a safer spot; like the rainwater dripping from the walls and glass exterior of the buildings and falling to the ground forming puddles in different shapes and sizes......just goes to show the top-grade artist nature is......these are common everyday things that most people don't care to notice or worse still, choose to ignore........for me, they are the little pleasures in life.....and like I had mentioned in one my earlier posts, some of the greatest joys in life come from the littlest things!

The monsoons come and go year after year but each year when they come, they are given the same excited welcome and they signal hope.....hope in all its various forms.....hope for a better crop for farmers, hope for sufficient water all through the year for civilians and hope for more fun-filled days for the youth! And soon enough, just as people have got fully accustomed to the weather conditions, the season changes and the rain-gods decide that its time to bid goodbye and find other places in the world to water!!!!! The monsoons recede leaving people craving for more and looking forward to the next monsoons with bated breath!!!!

That's the monsoon in Mumbai for you..............my favourite season, the uncertainties notwithstanding!!!!!!!!! I guess that was a fitting tribute to the best season of this bustling city!!!!!

Later now.......Till next time, Tally-ho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!