2nd day of the rains

Lights conked off suddenly. I didn't see it coming. I thought that the it would never build up into a storm. Thunder-storm. Ma'm says that there is a depression near Mumbai. This explains it. Water falling down in torrents. It's white-pure white. Crystal white. I can make out cyclones and anti-cyclones in mid air as the  wind effortlessly tosses  the rain about like it's some fascinating game.  And the rain seems to enjoy  this-surrendering in  an exploding rapture and the Thunder Gods growl. Hailstones showered down now. Looks like a sheet of pearls from afar but a closer inspection would call them perfect cones.Topazes would be more accurate.

For a while all the space not occupied by rain was filled with leaves. Helter-skelter they flew. A branch has fallen on someone's car. Where do all the birds go when it pours like this?

Now the storm has abated. Everything is wiped off the grime and dust. The green looks fresher. There's a traffic jam outside. Horns blaring loudly. But the rumbling thunder is louder drowning everything else. And a hideous dance enfolds.

Yesterday the rains nearly got me but I escaped from it's clutches. I raced with it yesterday and I won. Not a lick I got. Today I'm in the indoors. But the rain seems to have won the battle. I've yet to reach home :) 

Rainy Walks

Walking in the University campus is such a joy. It's been pouring since the last couple of days and during our break in between the lectures my classmates and me go exploring out to various departments. Armed with umbrellas, I find it very quaint walking on the water sloshed winding paths and the fresh greenery transports me into another world. At times like these I'm at a loss for words and just hum a tiny tune for my pleasure usually one of the songs which I have learnt in dance class.

Today I met my old friends again while I had gone to the bank to deposit the fees for the convocation ceremony. Gosh! Again we buzzed like bees, cracking all the same old nonsensical jokes which make sense to none but us. We had to stand in the queue for over a couple of hours but it really didn't matter. The time was yet too short for us. Then after a couple of members of our group departed, 3 of us went to the University Canteen. It's an old, gloomy, dully lit but an interesting place which serves 'Egg Sez' rice.

While sitting there I wished that it would have been so pleasant to have all my friends there with me and studying with me but they jackasses wish the same thing for me to be studying with them in their departments. It's a good thing though-at least each person likes the course that they have elected for. But I oh so do miss them so so so much :)

Monsoon-Disappearing so so soon.

Oh let it rain. Oh please let it rain- That's what everybody has been wishing since the past fortnight but the Raingods don't seem to be impressed with all the wishing and hoping going around. Makes me want to caper around like Calvin, closing my eyes, hopping on the ground and pleading to make the skies open up. And all the grey clouds do is hang around in the sky tantalisingly, promising untold joys but still withholding their gift. Even the North-East has not yet received it's quota of rain this year.

It is said that the wars of this century are going to be over water. It is so awfully true. Putting up with the water tasks is making life unpleasant. We are so used to the routine, timely 24/7 water supply that if newspapers would mention about places in India parching under the heat of summer it would hardly take up an iota of my attention. Now not a day goes when we don't hear someone or the other shouting in the society for water.

Now the water comes to our society in tankers. Suppose these tankers are unable to procure anymore, how will it be to get up in the water and face the prospect of no more water. I can't even begin to think of facing such a scenario. What will the Government do to ensure that water is delivered to every household? From where will help pour in when other states are undergoing the same crisis? Is there any substitute for water? Ha! Will we just die out slowly, one by one and perish? Tick tock tick tock.
Can things like these happen? Oh no it can't happen to us, can it? Something will happen. It will rain. The dams will fill. We'll get water and normalcy will return. At least all the time, money and energy put into the yagnas should now bear fruit (rain). This is what we have to turn to in times of dire hope.

The last three years we were faced with inundations where all low bank settlements were wiped right off. Now is it drought? Why has the climate become so erratic? Is the monsoon really disappearing?

P.S.- Floods in Assam are again. Floods in China. Floods in Europe.
Will write more on this.

And It Rained Today

I like driving in the rain. Mom said that it would rain today. Mom knew right. And the rain lashed like a fury and how! It tore the leaves down and strewed them across the roads like a carpet along with branches and flowers separated prematurely from their stalks. The water bore down across the roads like a river unleashed and tossed and turned us like flowers being blown by a very furious wind. It was just perfect. Just the thing that I was yearning for since a year.

Driving in the rain is truly enjoyable as long as I’m set with decent rainy wear, my helmet and of course my bike which sloughs on faithfully against the rain beating it from all the sides it has.

Today I had a friend along with me so the bike was heavy enough not to topple over because of the blustery weather. The balance was perfect. We screamed, we sang, we laughed and we didn’t cry. People viewed us quite accurately like two lunatics who ought to be taken up to task but we cared not.

The rain made me full and pleased with pure delight. I could laugh at the people waiting on the roads for the rain to cease all because I had my rain-jacket. But my superiority over them was only to make me feel better. I was completely drenched after all in the time that it took to halt the bike, to get the jacket out, to struggle and put the zipper on. Each second was slow and as soaked as the sea. Nevertheless, we managed and it had a curious wet charm of it’s own.

We had just filled our senses with cold-coffee with thunder rumbling over our heads warning us, hinting at us the gift it was going to present to us. The thunder joined us in our laughter. It was pretty wise.

I usually don’t look forward to the rains as it conjures up horrid images of muddy waters mixed with the all the grossest stuff on the road, sticky wet clothes, no electricity and the usual rut. However, now those images seem to have faded in the background no longer threatening me. I quite like the rains now. Though this feeling will vanish in the coming months that I’m sure of.

The last time I got wet in the rain; I cried. The time before that I was overcome with contentment along with a squiggly–wiggly feeling in the tummy and this time I guess I’m glad I got wet in the rain. Like I said, I like driving in the rain.