Can I have Hot coffee, French Fries and some Rain, please!!

The rain is pounding on the zinc sheets of our shed outside, as I write.  There is a slight rumble of thunder. The frogs are croaking away in glee, the insects buzz in response, and there is an occasional scream of peacocks.  It is quite an orchestra!

“Why don’t you write about rain!”, my friend Asha suggested.  So on this auspicious occasion of the arrival of monsoons, I take the privilege of writing about rain.  Snuggling under a warm blanket with a steaming hot cup of coffee and munching on crunchy fries when it is pouring heavily outside, is bliss.

“If you love rain, it means you are in love”, a friend once said philosophically.  Many film and soap opera makers seem to agree with the idea.  Many of them”find” love in the rain.  Be it SRK and Kajol dancing to the music of love, in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which apparently Kajol hears after SRK plays piano in the air, or Kareena and Aamir’s pagal stupid minds dancing Zoobi Doobi Zoobi Doobi pappaara , or a mesmerized Shahid watching a dancing Kareena in the rain in Jab we met, Hrithik and Preity going idhar udhar in Koi mil gaya, and many more than I can mention.  Rain does seem to be the cause of love. 

It is the time you would want to avoid going out to work, college or school.  Well, since there is no choice of hibernating, you have to go.  The rain particularly loves to annoy you by pouring down right when you set of for work and long enough to leave you wet and cursing.  It is the time when you shake off dust from umbrellas and rain coats, or buy new ones, which is quite a business by the way.  There are long ones with big handles, shorter ones, three-fold ones; and again amongst them, black ones, plain coloured ones, ones with colourful prints, striped, checkered, dotted, rainbow coloured, you name them.  Worried mommies wrap their little ones from head to toe, bag and everything in raincoats, and they wobble to school like cute little baby penguins. 

Then there are also those uncomfortable mishaps that ruin your day! Vehicles splashing the puddles over you, hence your white clothes don’t see the light of day till the monsoons are over, however more Surf Excel you may offer.  There are also those horrible times when you are struggling to walk in the windy rain and your umbrella gets upturned, and you helplessly try in vain to turn it right and get fully wet.  Yeah that could be bad! 

Still rain makes people happy.  It is an inspiration to writers and poets.  Many songs and poems have been written on rain, not to forget the very first one we ever learnt on rain, of asking the rain to go away, as Little Johnny wanted to play.  The sight of rain, the light grey sky reflecting against different shades of green, the branches swaying slightly bent, and the leaves bouncing to the rhythm of the pouring rain paints a beautiful picture on your mind. 

Err..if you will excuse me, I need to stop before my coffee goes cold!  

-Nivedita