Monsoon

July2014

Mangalore

Dark clouds, thunders and lightening, heavy down pour...the sound of the rain on the sheet-ed roof...loud and scary, as I waited in that huge long big empty school dining hall,that rainy day!!! The huge walls had  windows only up above so I could not see a thing how it was outside. But that's the only place I could take shelter as I waited for my big sister. All of 10 years, my desire was to go home with my big sister as I just loved to walk home with  her, and took pride in doing so. All of us sisters were going to the same school, and I was the only one in the elementary school. Seeing the heavy rain the school authority declared a holiday for the little ones, but high school classes were going on. All my class mates left, but since I knew my big sister is still in the school I decided to wait for her, so that we could walk home together . One more little girl may be 6 yrs was there to give me company, as she was the daughter of one of our teachers, so she was waiting for her mom! The gate man came to check on us, and left us to play. Soon we got bored playing, and the darkness and emptiness and silence around scared us.  The gate man came to fetch the teachers daughter saying her moms waiting, so she left! Every min was like an hour for me as I was waiting for my sister all alone..don't know for how long, till the gate man came to say all students have left and he is closing the school. The thing is my sister was not aware of me waiting for her, since I didn't tell her, so she must have left with her friends, or we both must have missed each other just coz I was stuck in that dining hall. I reached home, and I don't remember anything more, but how scary that rainy day was! Till today if I hear sounds of rain falling on tin roof reminds me of that fateful day, and i shudder in fear! I never had much affinity for rains, may be due to this incident, and I hated carrying an umbrella though mine was a rainbow coloured one. Thank fully Andhra pradesh had no much of rainy season, except for occasional icy blocks falling...once in a while. But the unforgettable Andhra cyclone shook me up even more, later! People, cattle, villages and towns got washed away with out a trace. WE had no TVs but seeings pictures of piles of dead bodies of human and cattle equally and cries of orphaned old and young alike..made a mark on my young mind, and I hated rains even more. For days together we had no power , no water nor any communication of near and dear ones. Though our city and our lives were safe..there was death every where else! Help came from nation wide, and we took equal part from school and Society to help in what ever way we could! Monsoon...I hated it!

I did not know, what was in store for me, as I got married and came to Mangalore..! Exactly after a month of my marriage, thick clouds, even darker sky and loud thunders and lightening..and the heaviest down pour I have ever seen. Thus started Monsoon, or rainy season..as the Mangloreans call! The rains are there to stay for the next 4 months or so. All around me were happy, celebrating, monsoon, shopping for new umbrellas, shoes, raincoats, rainy festivals, food, and what not! Days together there was no sun shine, and it did not matter to any one. All were going to schools, colleges and offices normally as if its part of their life! I was sick with fear and got stuck to bed with high fever! My new family did not get it, and seeing my sickness they even thought I may be pregnant! Gosh...how I hated to see the pouring rain from my bed room window..so depressing!

My kids took it better than me, and they just loved their first day of school with new uniforms along with matching rainy shoes, umbrellas and rain coats. Though they too hated the darkness, and power cuts. When ever I use to see the totally drenched couple singing and romancing in rains which was like integral part of most of the movies, I did not get how people can enjoy that! Though a few tried to teach me, rains are not so bad, and there is lot of fun, walking in the rain and getting drenched like a wet crow! But still I hated the feeling of my footwear getting wet, and I loathed the dirty gutter water touching my feet! Yuk...

Now Older and wiser, I get worried if I hear in the news if the rain fall is not so good this year, or its going to effect the farmers and electricity and water departments alike! I want the rains to come and do their duty, help the fishermen and bless the farmers! After all because of them we are surviving. I don't have an aversion for rains like before, but its not my best enjoyable season. I still dont carry an Umbrella, and surely would like to sing rain rain go away come again, another day...I wish..ha..this post is definitely for my big sister who does not know nothing about how I felt that rainy day which freaks me out even now...Hope you read this Usha, and I think even you wont like monsoon after reading this....But of-course we need rains..and we both know that now!

at Wednesday, July 30, 2014