The Magic of the Rains

Finally, after a long wait the pre-monsoon showers have bought some respite to me. The monsoons will forever remain my favorite season…I eagerly wait for it all year, and when it does arrive, I never forget to give it a warm welcome, a grand reception with one regal smile. I’m thankful for the rains because I don’t know how I could survive without it. It’s that special time of the year, when all of my aunt’s potted plants downstairs attain that lush, healthy look, and there is that sweet smell of the earth again, and the mango tree in my backyard is rejoicing…then there are those coconut trees in the distance adding to all the magic with that rustling music, that gentle sway of those trees, which stand out against the drab concrete buildings in the distance. It is raining outside now, very hard with thunder and lightning, and already, and that mounting tension about the year I am going to face (I’m, entering second PU), that tight knot in my stomach is loosening a little bit. The rains create this new atmosphere for me, and somehow, it dissolves and washes away all my blues. I call this pure magic.

Have all of you forgotten how you used to enjoy the rainy season as children? I haven’t. I know pretty well what I used to do. I used to make those paper boats and sail them in the rains, get drenched (trying to stay outdoors as much as possible), and after the rains subsided, I enjoyed going around, watching all the raindrops collected on the leaves, which really looked beautiful. I used to draw up a chair, and watch it rain all day long. Rains looked like miracles to me, and they still do. And guess what I did today? I have this feeling that my childhood is slipping away, and to make the most of it, I went outdoors, got drenched in the rains, sailed a paper boat, forgot about studies for a day, drew up a chair and watched it rain enjoying a hot cup of coffee. I felt like a kid again...it was a wonderful feeling. I revisted the time when it was not considered indecent on my part to play in puddles of water. There was this carefree attitude that I am so familair with from my early childhood...the times when it was considered OK to not study, the times when I was allowed to race my freinds on the roads. You should see how scandalized my mom looked when I came back drenched from head to foot! Apparently, it was the shock of seeing a young-adult behaving like a five-year old! I got a nice scolding. It's ok if the adults don't understand me. I know, I had done justice to myself, because when it rains, I am a kid again, I feel I a new side of me emerging…and when it rains, I tend to forget manners. That’s the magic of the rainy season!