Ah, Monsoons...

It is that time of the year I always look out for- the monsoons! The first rain, the smell of the soil after it gets the first few drops of the rain, the lush greenery all around and the sheer pleasure of watching the rain drops fall on the ground...its something one has to experience to understand.

The monsoons have been an integral part of every Keralite's life. It has inspired poets, writers, movie makers and I dont know who all. You can associate any kind of emotion with rain. It can give you that sense of deja vu, that sense of nostalgia, it can bring back to you feelings of intimacy, romance or eroticism on the one hand or of loss, loneliness or craving for companionship on the other. Being the very practical person that I am, the one feeling that comes back and forth to me whenever I see the heavy rainfall outside is that of hunger! The very thought of eating hot and fresh pazhamporis, bajjis or samosas with a piping hot cup of coffee while enjoying the rains from your balcony is eternal bliss for me!

Sometimes, the rains also take me to my childhood days when we used to get drenched on our way back home from school. In spite of taking umbrellas or rain coats with us, we used to roam around on the roads without resorting to any of these. We will reach home dripping and the fun was that in spite of all this, we will be healthy and hale the next day for school. The only time I used to hate rain was probably when it used to rain on my way to school. Water seeping in through your black leather shoes and drenching your socks and to sit in the classroom all day in your wet socks or the worst scenario when it used to rain on Fridays- days on which we are supposed to wear white uniform to school and if it rains on our way to school, our uniforms will be muddy red in color by the time we reach school...

Times have changed and so have I. But, that one thing which still remains with me is the sheer pleasure and excitement I experience when the rain gods shower their kindness on us, June through August. Its been just one month since the monsoons started and I am looking forward to the rains to continue till Onam...