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Tale of a Rainy Afternoon
It was a dull dark
afternoon. The clouds thundered in the distant background, accompanied
occasionally by a silver streak of lightning. Ramya sat by the window
in her room, and heard the sound of raindrops falling on the roof.
A strong wind opened the windows suddenly and the cool raindrops
splashed against her face. As she extended her hand quickly to close
the window, she was reminded of those other rainy days,much long
ago.
Her earliest memories of the rains
were confined to splashing about in the puddle when coming home
from school. The kids of the street welcomed the rains with their
paperboats, while their anxious mothers shouted at them for getting
soaked in the rain. Sometimes heavy rainfall would result in unannounced
holidays from school, and little Ramya was sure every kid in town
that night went to sleep with a half finished homework and a prayer
to the rain God that the showers continue throughout the night.
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Long power cuts
in the evening were common during the monsoons, when the entire
family would gather in the verandah. Antakshari was played
often to pass the time, while their mother would scurry to
and fro from the kitchen, supplying them with mouth watering
hot snacks ranging from pakoras and bread rolls. Occasionally
when the rain would stop for a while, the kids would accompany
their father to the halwai, and come back armed with samosas
and jalebis.
As Ramya grew
older she began to understand the nostalgia and the burst
of feelings, associated with the rainy season.She loved the
turmoil and chaos that would result on the road due to a sudden
shower. Busy roads bursting with people would empty within
minutes, while small children would struggle with umbrellas
bigger than themselves on their way back from school.
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The smell of
damp earth would refreshen her senses, and nature, as if transformed,
would fire her creative senses and inspire her to paint or
write, After four blistering summer months, the arrival of
rains seemed almost like a miracle, as if the Gods had themselves
descended and showered the earth with their divine blessings
in the form of rain.
Rains and Romance!
The two were almost synonymous with each other from couples
huddling under trees and umbrellas to Bollywood rain dance
sequences. Ramya herself had experienced the blossom of first
love on a similar rainy day.
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A walk in the
rain holding your beloved’s hand, or a romantic drive with
the moon playing hide and seek behind the clouds, the rains
redefined love like nothing else .
Then there were other memories
dancing in the seasons first rain on the rooftop, shooting
at reckless cyclists who would splash water on the girls and
spoil ther dresses Ramya wondered where all these moments
had gone. Caught up in the hustke and busle of work and a
hectic city life, had she forgotten to even pause and savour
the beautiful changes that the rains would bring to everyones
mundane life? Her own depressing afternoon today had been
brightened by reliving these memories. And as she saw a a
tiny paper boat sailing by on the road, Ramya smiled and got
up to make a cup of steaming hot tea, as she continued to
romance the rains in her mind.
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Contributing Writer Gauri
Sood, 86gauri@gmail.com An engineer by profession,
have a passion for writing, reading and exploring new places and
cultures.
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