It was
almost 4’ o clock in the evening when I woke up after a pretty long journey through
my dreams. When I reached out for my cellphone, I could see 2 new messages both
of which read, “Football at 4.30”. I washed my face and put on my sportswear to
play football with my friends. Like any other day, I was expecting an exciting
game of football and started walking towards the college.
A lonely
walk to the college was interrupted by few drops from the skies. Much before i
could take a look at the clouds it started pouring heavily. I ran hard seeking
a shelter to protect myself from rains and safely landed inside the bus stop in
front of my college. Later few of my friends joined me as well. Almost everyone
was wet. We had pani-puri and were all standing in front of a bakery (Vaibhavi)
sipping hot coffee. Mesmerizing rains, wetness, dark lights, deserted roads,
fresh air, and the whole surrounding made it a perfect evening. Sorry, I forgot
to add the major ingredient- the memories. Here is my share of memories with
rains.
My heart
leaps up when it rains. Rain is ‘a
thing of beauty’ which is joy forever. I get carried away with the water
drops falling from the sky.Though I cannot recollect my first encounter with
rains, I still remember the days when I made paper boats for my sister to float
them in rain water flowing. Carrying an umbrella made me feel so happy during
those days. I had a notion that few
people threw water from sky and that resulted in rains. I guess, most of us had
the same thought when we were young. First rains of the season and the smell that follows is the one of the best feeling in this world. It reminds me of the snacks which my mom
made on a rainy day. Being fully covered by sweater and a blanket, watching TV inside my cozy home was way-too-awesome to relish the food.For the
first time when I saw a rainbow, I was awestruck. I am a huge admirer of
rainbows. After that, I used to search for the rainbow every time it rained until I got to know the science involved in it (Total Internal Reflection!! 9th Grade Physics)
I am from
Kadur, which is a kind of dry zone in our district. Rainfalls are seldom
experienced, but when it pours it’s violent. When I was in 6th Grade, I shifted to a residential school which is located in a mini cherrapunji. It used to rain more than 4 months in a year. The skies
were all filled with dense thick black clouds during the rainy season and the
rains were almost non-stop 24*7. For the first few days, it was dismal. But i got accustomed with the weather over there. Being away from my family, rain became a dear friend of
mine. I can still recollect those heavy rains with lightning and loud thunder which scared the shit out of me. But it’s a great joy
in playing football in heavy rains. Standing in front of the clinic to get
medicines for not-instantly-curable cold and cough, getting a break from morning
jogging (*jogging was compulsory in our residential school) are all part of
these rainy days. For me the chilly breeze, soothing sounds and pleasant weather created by
rains is the perfect thing for a long heavenly sleep. It is this place which
thought me everything about umbrella: How to hold an umbrella? How 4 people can
share a single umbrella and most importantly, how-not-to-get-wet without an
umbrella?
Rains, a mug
of hot coffee, tasty and crispy chats, friends and few good songs can create
heaven. To go on a long drive, train journey, roaming the streets, watching a
romantic movie can be few other options. Rain can make any place romantic. That's the reason why many books,movies and songs have rains in them. When
I finished my education in my residential school and joined Hassan for my
degree, I considered eating food in street side chat stalls was unhygienic and
not-so-awesome. Big thanks to R C Road street-side chat stalls and sudden rains
for the breakthrough and making me realize how false that notion was. May be it’s
true that food is not-so-clean but, trust me, it’s damn tasty. It was Sahana
chats, Kachauri stall near Sahyadri
Theatre, Arun Chats and stalls in front of my college which made rainy days
much more romantic and enjoyable. Travelling on a rainy day is delightful
though showers remind me of the patch roads which created havoc when I was
travelling. But travelling in a train and that too getting a view sitting next to a window when it's raining is a visual treat. As soon as I plug my earphones and the songs started playing it was
a paradise-Unreal, ecstatic and what not. Nature gets refreshed by rains and
gets a brand new make-up. It looks young, fresh and beautiful as never before.
Its monsoon
and rain gods are giving visits once-in-a-while. Let us ignore traffic jams(if you are staying in big cities),
water logging, electricity problems etc. and enjoy the rains. Let the timely
and adequate rains benefit our farmers. Let it bring happiness and goodness.
PS1: It’s
time to listen to some melodies with a mug of coffee and hot chats.
PS2: Enjoy
the rains, feel the goodness and don’t just get wet.
