There is a a sudden explosion of Gulmohor flowers in brilliant red outside our window.That's a sure sign that rains on the way! At last!
Till then nights and days are, uncomfortably moving about, with a sheen of sweat which just refuses to go away.
One looks forward to such days because they end in a glorious feeling when you get drenched in the first rain.
The first rain very often comes literally with a flash and bang.A sudden darkening of the sky followed by rumblings and a clothing of the sky in ink black.
Beautiful to see, it brings waves of cool breezes wafting in, heralding in a smell of the wet earth as it rains upwind .
The dark clouds are lined with sunlight and slowly the light fades away as more and more clouds cover the sky and suddenly the atmosphere is broken by flashes of golden light followed by a sudden indescribably loud crack and then deep rumblings.
Especially when the rain starts in the early evening the display is magnificent.The canopy of the sky is covered in the south by clouds.The west is brilliantly lit by contrast by sunlight.The edges of the clouds are flashes of gold and smoke and silver.
Your hair and clothes fly hither and thither.Suddenly you are drenched in a cool wave and then big drops wetting you.The feeling of the first rain on your face is indescribable.
I've never been able to catch sufficient number of drops of rain with my tongue to say whether they are sweet or otherwise.
The rain caresses your face as it falls and slowly running down your face and down your body wetting you and your clothes and covering you it with your own private igloo!
The dust around you will slowly turn darker as it gets wet.Slowly the road turns black and seems to mirror the colour of the sky.
The rain wets the leaves and create a water fall as the water cascades .Unlike trees have different coloured leaves and in the garden next door the tress get super clean and dance as drops fall ,collect and the leaves bow to allow the collected water to flow.You can if you are careful see a myriad of green.Especially so when there is a strong enough breeze.The greens of the mango gulmohar ,bamboo and coconut tress differ in their greens and as they dance the rear side of the leaves is paler in contrast
The rain and wind create a symphony of music.First the tallest ,coconut tree, rustles and the leaves dance like very tall and lissome Masai warriors followed by a quicksilver scampering of bamboo leaves.The bamboo leaves move quickly showing flashes of yellow bamboo stalks.Meanwhile heavy foliage stand still, patiently allowing the rain to pour around and over, solemn and rarely moving.
The first rains often fall in sunlight, and then you can see a far off a opening in the clouds, search lighting a area in a glorious beam.If you are lucky you can see a rainbow.The sunlight lights up the drops on grass stalks like fairy lights. With the rain falling all activity and noise except the sound of the rain slows down and quitens.
Slowly the rain peters down.Night is falling and crickets cheep in unison seemingly louder than normal.The blanket of darkness is suddenly enlightened by a star.Slowly the cloud breaks up and the moon peeps out.Dappled shadows appear.
The first rain leaves you with a feeling of happiness and as though you have found a pot of gold.
Its time to then stop ambling and rush home and dry yourself.Ensure the pot of gold should not leave you with a cold!!!
Have fun
shekhar
