Early this morning I woke up with a feeling that it was going to rain. It may seem odd to people from this part of the world, but I woke up with a smile. The feeling was exacerbated as I stepped out of the building on my way to work. The skies were clear – usually a rarity here – as they had been for several weeks now. But I had a feeling that it was going to rain. And it made me smile.
But the sun shone through the day. A professor had offered me a lift back to Leiden, and it was getting rather warm in the car. But the feeling just would not go away. Just as I took off my cotton pullover, thick clouds began to form overhead and soon the heavens broke loose and it poured! Looking at me smiling, the professor wondered if I really enjoyed the rain.
There are a few benefits of being from the hot and sultry parts of India. It does not prevent one from loving the sun, but it also enables the genuine appreciation of rain. The young spring leaves on the swaying branches of the trees that seemed lifeless not so long ago, the rioting lillies, daffodils, tulips, and many other wild flowers… and rain! The moist breeze soothes the skin and one is sweetly intoxicated by so many fragrances. I am not sure if the professor could experience the musth of Spring as I did, but he was gleefully smiling at hearing the joys of an Indian rain!
Today, I was flooded with so many memories of rainy summer holidays in Calcutta. Listening to a vocal recital of raag Malhar as we drove in my grandfather’s white or red Maruti van to the botanical gardens, or to Victoria Memorial, or quietly walking by Dhakuria lake until dusk when the fireflies came out.
It hadn’t rained in weeks, but this morning I woke up with a feeling that it would rain. Of course, it made me smile!
PS: Until the rain fell, I had no conscious memory of fireflies at Dhakuria lake in Calcutta. At first, I thought it was a figment of my imagination, but I checked online to find out otherwise. One really does find fireflies there. These subconscious memories must be over 20 years old. Good olfactory!
PS: Until the rain fell, I had no conscious memory of fireflies at Dhakuria lake in Calcutta. At first, I thought it was a figment of my imagination, but I checked online to find out otherwise. One really does find fireflies there. These subconscious memories must be over 20 years old. Good olfactory!
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