Monsoon Memories

The rains are finally here! Thanks to the low depression created near the coastal Andhra, Chennai has been experiencing continuous rainfall over this weekend. A fresh, washed smell lingered in the air. The city welcomed me with the sight of overcast skies with roads washed out, mud splattered on the lanes, water-filled potholes, and constant play of pitter-patter of the raindrops. Men with trousers rolled up, mothers clutching the umbrella in one hand and in another  their kid, school kids moving in groups all trying to cluster under one big makeshift shelter, these sights are common sights during the rains.  

People in Chennai have always been very welcoming to any weather.  They treat the monsoons too with kindness, for without ample rainfall, the summer months would become difficult for the common man. 

It’s amazing how the sight of rainfall, fills you with nostalgia, bringing back memories. Memories, which go back to the times, when you were a seven year old; one who made paper boats and launched them in many rivulets that ran through the backyard, who would read Phantom as Ma brought in hot pakodas. These are my memories of the monsoon season. There is of course, the unspoken, silent prayer that please-God-let-tomorrow-be-a-holiday; but inevitably this prayer always went unanswered. Somehow my salutations and respects never appeased the rain God.

Being brought up in a Bengali household, I have been especially fond of food. And the perfect recipe for a rainy afternoon is incomplete without a meal of hot khichudi, with rivers of ghee running through and beguni. Mouth watering right!

For a bookworm like me, nothing beats the combo of a good book teamed up with some good food. And with the monsoon at my doorstep, it’s my favorite time of the year!