Indian monsoons

Yesterday’s thunders and rain took me to my childhood memories of Indian monsoons.

It all starts with faint earthly smell of rain before it hits the parched soil!

Pitter patter rain, soft drizzles, rumbling thunders, lightening, downpour, hail, endless days of rain,

Of my brother and me jumping in every puddle while walking back home our white uniform turned to yellowish brown,

Good amount of Ujala liquid blue and dhobhi’s magic does the charm to revive them back to white,

Running mindless in the rain, shrieking and collecting hail stones competing with cousins!

Paper boats floating the puddles, distant sounds of crickets chirping and frogs croaking at nights,

Gloomy days with no sun, a random rainbow or a double rainbow with the mercy of Sun,

Racing to terrace for picking up clothes from clothesline hastily before they get wet,

Chanting calming mantras when startling violet thunders rumble and sky roars,

Gulping hot hot pakodas and bajjis with garam garam chai to satiate our palates!

Damp, sultry, soggy, muggy, drippy classrooms on rainy days!

An outburst of green lushness — saturated with hues of vibrant greens,

So were flights of flying ants swarming around fluorescent lights!

Joy of getting drenched during the first drizzle of the year to

Being vexed of discomfort that comes with endless days of rain and gloominess,

Perception changes, yet I wait eagerly for next monsoon!