Rain

It is been rain, rain and more of rain, this week. Unusual for sunny California, but absolutely no complains. We really need it. California is in severe drought!

My perceptions of rain ( oh well, many things ) have changed over time. My earliest memoirs of rain goes back to my childhood days, may be, back when I was 5 or 6. I used to spend my school breaks with my mom’s relatives. It rained very heavily one of those nights. Thunder roared, lighting was in all its fury, and strong winds rocked the trees. I was scared, looked at valyamma(my mom’s cousin sister) and she told me to chant after her a sloka( I have raked my brains for it, but no, I am not getting it. No, it is not “arjunan phalgunan”, it was something else..), and the thunder would go away. Not sure whether the sloka did any tricks to the thunder, but for sure, it did to me.  I used to drift into sleep soon.

Then I grew up, we moved from near my mom’s place, to a middle class neighborhood. My friend circle changed. Summer holidays was fun with Indira Nagar gang. We used to play in the rains, completely drenched, until my friend’s mom shouts at us to come back in. It was fun!!

And now, here I am, sitting in my kitchen gazing at the rain. I am getting used to it, I have started liking it, may be even loving it.  One moment, I felt impelled to  go out in the rain like in the old times, but second thoughts (Oh, how I wish, I could be that 2nd grader again, who never has a second thought…) , I ruled against it. But, yeah, one of these days, I am going to do it (when M is not watching, I know he would be thrilled… but don’t want to get him sick…). Thought, I would settle for a photograph for now. I asked G, if he could get me one. “It is not going to look nice, only professionals can do it.”, G muttered. “That is ok,  I am not worried about the quality, pretty please get me one”.

I am posting that photograph here, I know, you cannot make out that it is raining. But…your imagination sure can see it :)