Waking up to find that the first rains of the season has brought with it lilies - a brilliant splash of red in an otherwise drab garden (which almost gave a huge sigh of relief as the first fat drops of rain hit it).
The rains are here and it’s going to be a happy season.
(Day 65 of 112)
I’m a
But in Shimla when it rains, giant umbrellas emerge. These apparently are multipurpose and people use them as walking sticks. There can be no other reason for making them so large. Unless they’re trying to encourage romance and/or economy by making umbrellas big enough to comfortably accommodate 2 large people or an entire family of tiny people.
Additionally in Shimla when it rains people walk out wearing sport shoes and the like, keeping their feet totally covered. Now since I was wearing floaters, my feet got wet. This, I now understand is the fastest way of falling ill in the cold (like I wasn’t already coughing and rasping like I was dying!).
So what was I to do? Nothing except follow the mother-in-law into a Reebok’s outlet and get fitted for some new shoes, the kind that would not let my feet get wet. That they happen to be super-comfy and very cute is not important here.
And so what with giant multicoloured, pinstriped, frilly umbrellas which could alternatively be used as weapons of self-defence and the very valid excuse to buy new shoes, my trips to the Mall are becoming more and more interesting everyday. It might prove to be just the kind of material I needed for this blog!
(Day 33 of 112)
It’s been raining non-stop now for nearly 21 hours. It hasn’t let up even once. And it’s not the romantic kind of drizzle (which after 21 hours would also be annoying) but is the heavy duty torrential kind which
The cautious, the experienced, the paranoid and the simply lazy have probably stayed home today rather than face the wrath of the rain gods. People like my dad simply took advantage of the empty (albeit very wet) roads and went to work. And now that the roads around my house are looking like
Where do I fit in this very wet picture? Well, I did have some minor plans of finishing work I’ve been postponing for some weeks now. But the rains made me postpone them again today. Not that I’m complaining. I get to stay dry and warm and not have to wade through a foot of water to get to the other side of the road. I also get to curl up with a good book and chocolate biscuits. And the only thing that made this rainy day better was Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy on television. Watching him dive into that lake even made me smile at the water logging around my house.
So now I know that even faced with floods, a torrential downpour, cancelling of all plans and just a depressing dampness and dankness all around, I can smile. Just give me a wet Mr. Darcy. Oh yeah.
(Day 28 of 112)
Ever since the rains officially decided to hit Bombay, the same day as I landed here about 2 and a half weeks back, I have managed to not get wet and/or stuck in a traffic jam courtesy water logging. I have even avoided being a victim of mud stains and car splashes courtesy rude drivers.
In another time (when I was less cynical and more easily pleased), much time was spent walking in the rain (and no this is as non-romantic as it gets), enjoying watching other people scamper and flee the water as though it were acid. A lot of time was even spent travelling in the rain. Forced choice and all that since it was either leaking, overcrowded trains or overcrowded never moving from one spot on the road bus. But since we were seasoned travellers (experience making us wise beyond our ages you see) we always carried a Mumbai Monsoon Survivor Kit*, complete with food, phone charger, extra money, plastic bags and socks.
The plastic bags were used to put wet umbrellas in since we were considerate and didn’t want to drip water over people around us, and also to spread out on wet train seats so that we didn’t have to sit in a puddle, the money and the food were for survival and to bribe taxi drivers to take us through water logged areas, the phone charger just in case and the socks so that at least my feet could be dry.
This was very important. Nothing is more annoying (to me) than wet feet or even worse, wet socks. They (the socks) get all horribly squishy and make funny sounds when you walk. The feet feel cold and clammy and get prune-like wrinkles all over. And over the years I’ve realised that no matter how long I spend in the rain (voluntarily or just stuck there), no matter where I am once out of the rain (in the classroom or at home) and no matter how drenched I am, it can all be made ok if only I have dry feet.
So here’s to being smart and staying indoors this monsoon and of course, dry feet.
* - This is different from the Mumbai Monsoon Survivor Kit for people travelling in cars. That includes a heavy object like a hammer or dumbbell to break open the window in case of flooding and jamming of the power-lock systems. It also includes a torch to look for the hammer under your seats. But that’s another story.
