Season of the Year

                                                              


This is probably my third article on the rains. There is a reason for the rainy season being one of my favourite seasons (except when I get stranded in some place away from home due to water-logging). Every season can be felt by just one parameter -temperature, the rainy season can be felt in so many other ways. It is one season which we can feel, experience and see too! We feel hot in summer, but summer never gave us any new sort of experience. You can't tell a summer day from a winter day just by looking at a picture of an empty road. But monsoons are different. They come as a relief for the earth from the scorching heat or freezing cold, they make the nature happier when they arrive. Just look around you on a rainy day. Happy children, extra green nature and a sober sky (you do find dark and scary clouds or maybe even lightning. But i guess by now we have made peace with them). You experience a freshness in everything. The beaches, the lakes, the forests or even the cities, nothing remains the same anymore. There is a sudden splash of brightness in everything around you after the very first shower. All this happens only during the rains. So if you are tired of the sun beating down on your face throughout the year in India then this is the right time for you to take a stroll outside. I am sure the water droplets caressing your soft face will be a very welcome change. Even sitting indoors and watching others getting wet is a superb idea now. So enjoy it either way. :)



Well I have two good friends in my neighbourhood. I guess they are  the ones who enjoy this season to the best. It all happened yesterday. I had an off as it was a Sunday so I could join them in their celebration of the monsoons. The first rains of the season. It was exactly what they deserved after a long, sultry, uncomfortable and harsh summer. The rains.


The smallest of my friends (pardon me because I only know them by their size. I have no clue about their age or names as they have been here long before me) popularly known as taru or Kochu in Bengali seemed to be the happiest of all. The whole gang flushed with joy as the first raindrops fell on them. They just couldn't get enough of playing with the water droplets! Even you can see the joy in their leaves! :)

the wet leaves

                                       
                         See how green they have become!

                 This one is just trying to hold as much water as possible!

Its really a wonderful feeling to see your friends so rejuvenated after such a long time!

After them I turned to the baby coconut tree in front of my window. I have always been scared of coconut trees since childhood. So huge and tall! If I were asked "define a mature and strong adult with respect to trees" then my answer without any second thoughts would be the coconut trees. The tall ones looking tired and unhappy for days, burning in the sun yet providing us cool coconut juices. They are the first ones to take in the harsh sun rays so that we can stay cool. As a kid, just as I was scared of my mother, I was scared of the coconut tree. But this one in front of my house is different. It is a livelier and a smaller version. It looks happy enough to play all children's games, happy enough to ignore the fact that many of its good friends were cut down by human beings for their own selfish needs. It was enjoying the droplets falling on its leaves only to slide them down!

can you see the tree feeling the water droplets on it?

It didn't stop its game after the rain ceased. It looked up at the sky and asked for more.

it gathered many friends in its endeavour too!

When it didn't work it started another game. It send the tiny droplets it had preseved during the rains down to the pond beneath. Those  tiny droplets created ripples throughout the pond! I guess it had great fun doing that. See for yourself!

ripples in the pond

I am sure others enjoyed the day too. I couldn't catch up with everybody but these new friends sure had some gala time.

I would have liked to think the same about humans but they were busy scampering from one shelter to another with umbrella in hand as if one vicious drop would melt them. :P ;)

So my message to all living things -- Good things shouldn't last long and so Rainy season is a very short season in Kolkata. Enjoy it till it lasts. But of course... Stay safe... :)


Thanks for taking out time to read this :)