Coming Back to life
Its the end of May and I can almost see the southwesterly harbingers rising up the Arabian seas. I almost see the overcast skies, hear the patter on the window pane, almost smell the wet earth. I wait for this feeling every year, since as long as I can remember. As a child I felt I was gifted and that I could predict the Bombay rains. I felt that I could tell when there was a shower approaching and when I was right, I would smile to myself. As a child the onset of the monsoons would mean a few more things. It meant that house would soon be out of mangoes, it meant that a trip to Ideal Book depot was round the corner and it meant that we would be shopping for rain gear. Initially we would get only Gum Boots. I always chose the red ones, they made me feel a bit like Superman. Once we grew older we got to pick the sleek black rubber rainy shoes. School in the monsoons would be fun as well. Meeting up with the gang again and showing off the cool new wind-sheeters was always very exciting. Oh, and the occasional sutti due to heavy rains made the season even more special.
Monsoons brought newer experiences with it once I was in college. One of them was an annual trip to Matheran with close friends. We always got a lot of rains in Matheran. The trek up would be slippery, mucky and tiring. We got exactly what we wanted.
Back on the plains, the monsoons have presented me with another super feeling…driving in the rains listening to a certain Pink Floyd song. That time of the year is almost here and these days while driving I’m always on the lookout for any shades of grey in the sky and the first droplet on the windshield to put my favourite tape into action. I’m still waiting for that chance this year but I know it won’t be long. I can almost tell the first rains approaching and I’ll smile to myself when they come.
I feel extremely blessed to live in a place which has a rainy “season”. Any more of the rains and they would have lost their mystic charm. Its such a wonderful time to be living in Mumbai. Its full of such wonderful wonderful memories. Its said that rains bring life with them and I couldnt agree more.
I was not in the city on July 26, 2005.
posted by abdab at 10:28 AM
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