There are so many things that I could do and so many thoughts that go on in my head simultaneously. The monsoon drizzle and the cool easterly wind feels like a welcome embrace after the torrid unforgiving summer. I wish for so many things and so many events to happen all at the same moment. How I love the rains. I have written extensively about this but I can't seem to stop. The rains are the most amazing muse anyone could hope for, especially for those living in the subcontinent. In fact, in my opinion rain is the subject of the most beautiful melodies, songs, dance forms, art forms, literature and varied things that provide us with moments of happiness in the otherwise stressful and difficult 21st century.
When I was a teenager I was introduced to 'Meghdoot' (Cloud Messenger) the lyric poem written by Kalidasa, one of the greatest classical sanskrit poets. It is the story of the love messages sent by a husband living in exile in the south to his wife in the north by the means of a monsoon cloud. It is the most poignant and beautiful story of love and longing I have ever come across. Reading that great work of classical literature gave me hope that only exceptional pieces of literature can provide.
The chaos that has been my mind lately sorely needed the cooling rain to soothe my thoughts. There are times in our lives when one needs peace in order to thing clearly. This year has been particularly troublesome so I was really glad to walk in the spitting rain. It was also an act of defiance for me, because for some reason women walking in rain on nearly deserted roads is not a common sight in small town India. So, as I get ready to go to bed, I am feeling defiant and at peace for the first time in ages after feeling the welcome embrace of the great Indian monsoon.
