I Love a Rainy Night

The first drops of the summer rain randomly hitting my face have never failed to light me up with a smile.

All of us in our very own ways have an association with the rain. No other form of precipitation, I believe, is more universally cherished than this.

A house in the hills usually invites thunderbolts right inside.It is louder and to many I know, a reason for their fear of the rainy season.I somehow have always loved experiencing it; the amplified thundering sound interjecting the silence of the dark hills around.

The rhythmic sound made by the raindrops hitting a tinned roof works as the perfect lullaby for people like me.A good night's sleep never came easier than on a night like this.

A good shower leaves behind tiny rivulets running alongside inclined pathways and makeshift stone staiways.Miniature waterfalls in their own rights,falling from the roofs above into and then over the buckets,drums and other such water holding containers put out the night before by the perenially water thirsty hill people.

The kids are out on the streets chuckling and giggling in their uniforms;colorful gum boots in place of their regular school shoes this morning.Aching to jump into one of the many water puddles all around. Bright pink,blue and yellow umbrellas abruptly springing out at all different angles.You either love to or hate to have to go to school on a day like this.

The monsoons in the plains have a different story to tell.The earth comes alive with a distinctive smell when it soaks in the first rain of the season. The leaves suddenly change color from a dusty brown to different shades of green.The city is cleansed. A welcome spectacle but only till the time the drains clog and the strees take over their function.

Traffic jams are next in line, the traffic lights fail and the vehicles are immobile.The city shuts down.The school compunds are water logged as are most of the office buildings.The telephone stops working and the cable is out.Electricity vanishes.

Despite the odds, witnessing the rainfall and the cooler weather as a result of it, kicks in an appetite for the oiliest of  deep fried snacks and innumerable cups of tea.

A rainy day happens to be the perfect setting for random stories of hauntings which we love to hear and those spine chilling movies we love to watch; for reading a novel as the droplets settle on the window pane and for a nice nap with our favourite music playing in the background and soothing our subconscience.

It also brings with it an inherent melancholic streak adding on to the pain of separation for lovers living apart. But in that very pain,they discover love,deeper than they knew they could ever feel.
Those together, sense the magical romance in the rain, and get drenched in it's spell.

And then there is the rainbow out in the horizon with the sun peeking out from a behind a cloud high up in the sky. This, to me, is what hope looks like.

Dying seeds waking up, butterflies hovering around fresh scented flowers,honeybees going about their business,garden worms, bugs and caterpillars out to get on with their lives and playful children finally taking a shot at those puddles.

The bith of life.

It's no wonder I love a rainy night!