Raindrops

Who doesn’t like rains? Once again I am skipping back to my past memories - the days when I used to wait for the rains to come - starting from mid May when the earth, parched by the scorching sun, would also be waiting to be fed by the nectar of raindrops.

The excitement starts from the moment I see dark clouds gathering together in the sky, indicating the heavy rains that are going to pour. The thunder would start growling and the wind would start blowing strongly. There is a huge tree outside our compound, which spreads its branches over a wide circumference including a part of our small compound. This tree is a beautiful sight in May as all the branches will be bloomed with small pink flowers. The strong wind that blew across will scatter away these pink flowers and tiny leaves that get faded by evening, all over our compound making it look like a flower bed.
From distant houses, I could hear the cows mooing from their cattle sheds, sensing the impending rains. The heavy wind that blew across carrying the moisture made me insanely happy. I would jump around and run to the kitchen and would hug my mother who would then scold me lovingly for disturbing while cooking. My sudden and surprise hugs when I was in happy moods always scared her. (She used to say it will cause ‘accidents’ in kitchen!)

The windows of my room would slam shut with big bangs indicating the strength of the wind. I wouldn’t close the windows so that I could enjoy the wind that blew through the rooms. I would hook it wide open so that the glasses wouldn’t break because of my crazy wish. The sheets of paper that I kept on my table for preparing notes would fly off room to room and I would run after them which would escape my reach. The pages of calendars would flip hard against the walls, some times turning upside down and would finally fall down unable to fight with the wind.

Outside, I could see the people without umbrellas hurrying along the road so as to get back to their homes before it started raining. Crows and cuckoos would be crying incessantly letting others know that they are catching back to their nests before the rains started. The children in the neighborhood, would then irritate the cuckoos by imitating them thus triggering a series of ‘coo-ooh’ sounds by children and the cuckoo alternatively. The women would be shouting to their children to take out their clothes hung for drying.

The sky at this time is an amazing sight to watch. It would be thick dark as if the whole world is going to be dimmed without any light. I would stand at the door step watching the delicate plants and branches of the trees swaying to and fro in the wind. In the neighboring compound, I could see the dried leaf stems of coconut trees falling down. The whole of the nature would be in a dynamic state.

Finally, I could see the fine drops of rain falling, forming wet dots on the ground, which gradually turned into a heavy down pour. It is a thrilling experience to watch the soft drizzles gaining momentum and turning to a heavy shower. The parched earth now being wet, let out a pleasant smell which I would inhale fully to my lungs. Delighted by the heavy rains, I would continue standing at the door, watching the raindrops creating cups and saucers on the ground. All the dried leaves and faded flowers that decorated our compound would now be floating in the rain water. The plants that were covered with dust before would now be sparkling green, with all dust washed off and with shining droplets hanging at their trips. As I stood at the door step, wetting my hands under the water that poured out of the outlet in the sunshade, I could hear the feeble sound of poor kittens helplessly crying. Somewhere around the poor creatures would be all drenched trying to curl themselves under bushes, to prevent themselves from being further drenched. The wind would still be blowing in midst of the heavy rains, sometimes in one direction, some times in another, scattering the rain drops in all directions through the windows of the rooms.

It is hard to estimate the time when it is heavily raining. You would realize it is late evening only when the darkness spreads. The lamp that we lit in the sit-out at dusk would blew off the moment we lit because of the wind. The thunder would now be frequent preceded by flashes of lightening.

After dinner, when every body slept I would sit alone in my room, with doors locked but windows still open so that I could feel the cool wind blowing in. I could hear the “Pehli Pehli Baar Milaata Hai Yehi……” from Dil To Paagal Hai, being played from my neighborhood. Immersed in the sound of heavy rains it would reach me very softly which I felt more romantic than when I heard it in full volume. I would push a pillow at the back of my chair and would sit relaxed stretching my legs across the table, listening to the song and recollecting the scenes where Madhuri missed her bangle at Sharukh’s bungalow. (An excellent romantic scene to recollect when it is raining!!)

The raindrops would keep scattering from the window sill on to my table, which was near the window, creating a pattern of tiny droplets. I would draw pictures with my fingers on the table with those droplets of water. When the whole world slept, I would be sitting in my room listening to the rains. The frequent flashes of lightening that appeared followed by loud thunders were sometimes frightening. This would often be followed by a break down of electricity as some where branches of some trees would have fallen on the electric lines which always happened in our place. Happy that the lights are gone I would then light a candle on my table instead of the emergency lamp as I loved candle lights, especially when it rained heavily. Lighting a candle on my table, I would be back to my easy-chair posture, dreaming and watching the candle flame flickering in the wind. Gazing at the candle light I could see the melted wax oozing by the sides of the candle. I would collect it and would try making small statues out of it by pressing here and there, slightly burning my fingers. (This was a fun my brother and I used to do when we were children. We used to bet who made best figures.)

The rains would still be pouring heavily, flooding the whole area. Listening to the sound of rains and the music that caressed my ears, I would sit in an ecstastic mood for a long time. No thoughts disturbed me at that time, it would just be a state of bliss that the nature has gifted. The bright flashes of lightening and the frightening thunders always made me think how trivial human beings are when compared to the immense Power that held this universe. However hard we try, one cannot fathom the power of God which is beyond our scope. We can just be happy thanking Him for letting us know a minute part of that power in the form of nature.

Having enjoyed the rains as long as I wished I would then blow off the candle to go back to sleep listening to the rains. The rains always have a music …….a music that can soothe your minds…a music that can fill your mind with immense happiness and make you cheerful…….