The Deccan Herald, 17th July 21
It started slowly, with a few drops. Drop… drop… drop. Then suddenly the drops came in a wave, like corona virus, to sweep away all the dirt. But we were safe from the rain inside the market building. We had just finished shopping and paid the cashier when the downpour caught us on the wrong foot. Stranded in our shelter, there was nothing to do but twiddle our thumbs till the rain subsided. People ran helter skelter for refuge—inside shops, on a veranda or even under a makeshift awning! A pigeon coolly shook off the water on its back, bobbing its beak from side to side. A coolie standing quietly under a rickety thatch looked worried. If the rain did not abate, he would have no work and no food that day. All I could do was sympathise with him from my privileged position.
It occurred to me that I had not had a shower under the deep grey clouds ever since my boyhood. My shower now was confined to the four walls of the bathroom. In the village it was not uncommon during the rainy season to get soaked on the way to school. Oh, it was so full of fun! How I missed my village days and the fun we had dancing in the rain!
But I parted with that charming life when I moved to the city and its concrete jungle, where rain is a nuisance. Not only does it disrupt daily movement, but it also unleashes all the filth of the city into its gutters. Both of us stared silently at the falling drops. What was my wife thinking? Was it about yesterday’s kitty party or the fiery mood of her boss? I knew that she had made a kill at the kitty and was in a jolly good mood. I sat in my own brown study, studying each individual drip as it fell to the ground. Some fell on cars and some on the grass, but most fell flat under the shoes of shoppers. “A penny for your thoughts!” I whispered and touched her arm. She jumped up in her seat and turned to me, as if to ask, “What?” I smiled and grabbed her arm. Why not? If I couldn’t go to the village for a drenching, I could bring the thrill of dancing in the rain to the city! “Are you crazy?” she asked. But before she could protest further, I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the pouring rain. She was terrified as the first drop of water hit her. But she didn’t push me away! On the other hand, she pulled me with both hands and together we went round and round in circles, getting thoroughly drenched. We left a crowd of shocked onlookers behind when we ran to our car. We were still laughing when a sudden shriek from my wife drowned our merry making. The resident lizard of our car decided to go undercover and travel up River Nile on my wife’s leg!