Rim-jhim gire saavan, sulag sulag jaaye mann
Bheege aaj is mausam mein, lagi kaisi ye agan
(Lines from the song “rim-jhim gire saavan” written by Yogesh for the movie Manzil)
India is heavily dependent on the Monsoon, too little of it and we have a problem, too much of it and we have a problem. And this year, like other things Indian, the Monsoon arrived two weeks late. And finally when it did, it brought cheer all around. From the man on the street to the stock market, everyone rejoiced.
Last evening when I came back home from work, the sky suddenly grew dark and after sometime it was pouring. And then there was a big bolt of lightening which was immediately followed by a power cut. Déjà vu.
A touch of nostalgia to go with the rain..and the power cut….
This sent me back in time to the city I was born and brought up in – Ranchi. Ranchi as the social studies textbooks of yore would have told you, is a hill station. And what is a hill station without rains…and power cuts.
Every year after two months of scorching summer when temperature would touch the early hundreds and stay there, it would rain. And rains would bring life back into the city. The dull and dreary faces would all be smiling. Playgrounds, which wore a deserted look during summer, would be full of children playing football in rains (And believe me, no sport can match the exhilaration of playing football in rains). The complexion of the entire city would suddenly change from rust to green.
Of rainy afternoons flavoured with steaming ‘chai’ and hot samosas
There would be cyclists trying to avoid the pools of water that rains had managed to create and there would be children jumping in the same pools, splashing water on the passersby (cyclists included), who did not seem to mind. Hot tea and ‘garam samosas’ with chutney would be the flavor of the season. All the talk about the receding water level in the lake supplying water to the entire city would be replaced with how many millimeters it rained that day. Buffaloes could be seen enjoying a swim in ponds, which were dry till sometime back and were now overflowing with water.
The inevitable company of power cuts
From our eighth floor flat with farms all around, one could see grease lightening kissing the ground. And the first burst of lightening was enough to ensure a power cut. And in the evenings this would send one searching for a matchbox and a candle or a lantern. Many evenings have been spent studying in dim candle or lantern light (or improving concentration should I say). And when the rains stopped, the smell of the wet earth would come through, something that doesn’t happen anymore in the midst of all the concrete I have chosen to live in.
The rains in Ranchi were rejuvenating, yet there was certain anger about them. They hit the ground with a thud…a knockout punch. The romance was clearly missing.
The contrast
The city I moved to for my higher studies, Pune, lies on the leeward side of the Western Ghats. The clouds empty themselves over Mumbai and by the time they reach Pune, the heavy rains of Mumbai have converted into a drizzle. In Pune, in the truest sense of the word, it rains, it hardly ever pours. The romance that is missing in the rains of Ranchi can be found here. And it literally sucks you in. It’s the kind of rain you would want to go out in and get wet. Or go out for a walk arm in arm with your loved one under the same umbrella (Pune being a city where students from all over the country come to study, this is a fairly common sight in the parts of the city where students live).
The Rains in Hyderabad, the city I moved to make a living, like the city itself, promise to deceive, looking fairly good when they start off, but fizzle out very fast. It doesn’t really rain much in Hyderabad. In fact it rains more in Telugu movies than it does in Hyderabad And when it does rain, the place to go to is the Hussain sagar lake. When the first drops of rain hit the water in the lake it’s a sight not to be missed out on.
My nostalgia trip ends with the power being restored. And if you still haven’t realized, this article was written under candlelight, with heavy rains and lightning outside. Life has come a full circle for me.
Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...
—About our writer:
Vivek says, "Born and brought up in Ranchi, did my post graduation from Pune, and now working in Hyderabad. So that covers, North, East, West and South. I hope to make NEWS some day."
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