Saturday 4 June 2011

Magical Manic Monsoons

Since this are my early attempts at public writing, I will leave serious topics for a later date and then we can really get going with discussions. I have been reading several blogs, although I follow only one. Some of them are so well written that I feel my effort may be a complete waste.But I will carry on, if not for anything else then to better my skills,if any.

The MONSOONS HAVE ARRIVED! And what an entry, unexpected,sudden ,stealthy but surefooted. An event all Indians look forward to, the manager of this one being in complete control of all that is associated with handling major events. The audience is left dumbfounded, gasping sometimes at the twists and turns but enjoys all there is to get from this natural marvel.

The best feature is the first shower and the aroma of the parched earth drinking thirstily what the clouds have to offer. This aroma can never be found anywhere else, only here in our dear country can one get that heavenly smell. The sudden change of temperature from hot-humid / hot-dry to uber cool is enough to bring the children out to play in the rain,( the sniffles following closely behind but that is for mothers to deal with ) their shouts and splashing about in the puddles and the rain water would lift any drooping spirit.

For those that stay in the cities specially Delhi  Mumbai and Kolkata there will always be the traffic snarls to deal with. As I write I can hear the persistent honking and the sound of heavy traffic on the road outside. What would be a ten minute journey could take upto thirty minutes or even an hour, and this is not an exaggeration. Last year I went to see a play with a friend in  a theater close to where I stay. The other person, living quite far away left well in time. It usually takes me ten minutes or less to reach there so I left comfortably in advance that is twenty five minutes before the start of the play , well needless to say, the friend reached well in time and I could only see the second half. Stuck in a traffic jam for fortyfive minutes!

People love the monsoon for it brings in the freshness,the trees look greener,flowers start blossoming ,the grey skies a welcome relief, the turbulent sea , an awe inspiring sight as much as it is when calm.The vagaries of the weather ( it does'nt rain all the time), the sudden unexpected bouts of unending rain, not passing showers, visible sheets of rain is what the romance of nature is all about.

There is a downside too with the flooding and the accidents the shanties getting waterlogged, flights getting disrupted, suburban trains coming to a standstill , buses not moving at all, and at times the city coming to a virtual standstill. People have often talked about the indominatable spirit of the people of Mumbai, it is a time tested truth , we overcome all obstacles, the rains do NOT  deter us from going to work even though we know that we may not reach home on time, will have to spend the night in the office or at some co-workers home.

Now as I prepare to get my first dunking in today's shower ( cannot resist getting drenched at least once) all I can say is VIVA LA MONSOON! VIVA LA THE MUMBAIKAR!

Sending the freshness of the first showers,

With love,

Nandita



10 comments:

Renate said...

Sounds absolutely magical!

How I wish I could be there and smell the first start of the rain. I wonder if it is the same as the fleeting indescribable fragrance of sudden-summer-rain-on-hot-pavement that's exactly the same in Germany and America and one of the finer pleasures in life as far as I am concerned.

The romance of Nature - children feel an undiluted joy when she shows her spectacular side. May they grow up to see her splendour first and only then turn to the sodden hassles in their daily routine.

Anonymous said...

I think it is possibly the same smell , the mud/earth/sand interacting with the rain in the heat. An unmatchable fragrance, has never been duplicated.

Would like some criticism too if you please.

Renate said...

Anonymous - is that you, Nandi?

Criticism?

Only with the format.

In my setup here the comments only show in a small pop-up window, not with the original post. I find it rather disruptive

Also, is there any way to subscribe to a RSS?

Unknown said...

yes FOR GOD'S SAKE! I don't know how to use my own blog!

Unknown said...

I don't know WHAT an RSS feed is but I WILL learn and get back after setting it up.

vijji said...

Nandi.... i tried many times yesterday... but cud not post. let me try now... if it goes... i will try tomorrow again. right??
vijji

austere said...

magical...

subhadra said...

lovely masi,im dying for the monsoons here!!the article draws a very lifelike picture something i can relate to :)

Gautam said...

That sounds so good! The writing really bought home the magic of the monsoons. I wish I was here instead of north Sweden. How about photographs? They would add something to a blog like this one.

Unknown said...

Gautamji I have just about started blogging, photos would be a luxury, and would require some more learning/skills. Maybe later when I am more adept.