Pitter patter rain drops....

Yeah, I know its a long time since I last posted. Which can be explained by the fact that I was busy....with I dont know what. Coz there was nothing which would really classify as work at my internship. But that preview to working (and grown up) life deserves a seperate post anyway. The past two months have gone away much sooner than I imagined....but in some ways, they seem like an eternity. Yeah, and then I was free...with absolutely nothing to do....which was not that good a state either. Because I was soon bored. And distracted. And lazy to even lift a finger. Which is not saying much because I had my brother at my beck and call :-)

Anyway, it is raining a lot in Mumbai. And no, we are all not drowned yet. The roads are jammed, trains are running late, its all sticky and wet the minute you step out...but when did that stop Mumbai? The media doesn't have any other happening story, I suspect. But I also secretly wonder if my flight will take off this Sunday :-( Which is strange because I know that the minute the plane moves, I will be missing home. Sigh.

A friend of mine actually has his Gtalk status message, "It KEEPS raining here". The poor Delhiwala is here the first time in his life. And cribs about the rains. And I feel like lecturing him about the rains I have seen in my life. I stop myself in time.

Not that they count much, but I have seen quite a few rains. In fact, I grew up in rainy places. Trivandrum. The monsoons visit Kerala first and Kerala waits with bated breath to receive the guest of honour. Everyone does a countdown to the rains. When I was in primary school, I remember our maid chechi reciting it to me. Three days to the monsoon and four days to school, she would say. I dont remember it being particularly windy. It just rains like crazy. And everyone eats benana chips and feels content.

And then, we shifted to Nagapattinam. The town which is now sadly known as the Tsunami district was earlier known for its cyclones. It rains from September to November. Without a break. But its easily one of nature's acts of beauty. The way the winds completely lift you when you are trying to cycle your way home. The uncountable shades of grey and blue that you can see from your terrace. The lashing that the rains give anyone who dared to step out. And the deafening thunder that used to scare my brother. The rain gods are not to be messed with. Not that it prevented us from visiting the beach every evening throughout the year. The sea there is calmer, the sands browner and beach deserted except for the lonely fisherman and his catamaran (no clue if that's an English word) And sometimes, the occasional church bell would ring...Nagapattinam is how I picturise Sri Lanka. Hope to visit it one day.

Mumbai is a different story altogether. There is no natural beauty in it whatsoever. Atleast not in the city or the teeming suburbs. Unless you are in a sea facing apartment in Worli with no intention of stepping out. Everywhere you go, its damp. And traffic really slow moving. The crowds which otherwise are an irritant now seem positively repulsive. The news reporters try to hype it as God out to give our city a bath. Mumbaikars take creative liberty while describing it. Life in a Metro might even make Mumbai look beautiful in the rains. Ah, if only...

But once in a while, something comes along and changes your perception. Like the Mumbai floods did for me. You realise that the people are all that matter. And the people in this city have their heart in the right place. You admire the way the city rises up to the occasion. And goes back to normal the very next day. Which makes me like the Mumbai rains too...But what I cherish the most is the way the children in my building come out for the first shower that arrives....there are yells of 'Pausa ala...' And the entire colony comes rushing down for those droplets of water to moisten our cheeks and the wet soil smell to permeate our senses. Heaven!