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Not being the adventurous sorts to venture out in the rain, I was mostly under self imposed "house arrest" this weekend. Having ample time to think over things I started to wonder that how perspectives change. As children, monsoons were welcomed with dance in the rain, a paper boat in the puddle near by and juicy mangoes. I remember spending hours near the window,... brooding....at the view outside...notice small things...about how the street dog is getting wet, how the cows are huddled up and sitting under the tree...about how motorists in all their rain gear would drive carefully on the road splashing puddle water ...about how the cars would just do the same without bothering much. I remember watching other children too...in their umbrella and raincoats, floating the paper boats in the puddle...
After the initial euphoria, that is getting drenched in the first monsoon showers, most of the time was spent indoors. Had to make do with my younger brother as a 'play' companion. As children, we particularly didn't get along and almost most of the times, either one of us would go complaining to our parents about how the other one was cheating or disturbing or just being. I don't particularly like this season. For one, my birthday falls in this season and well, my name reflects the same too. As a kid, my birthday was always a damp affair...thanks to the rains which decide to arrive at precisely the same time, my friends were to come over. My mom would be very skeptical of the number of kids which would turn up. My friends from school almost never turned up if they didn't live near by. It was probably too much of a hassle for the parents. Well-my friends from the colony did turn up but they were few in number. We would play a lot of 'child'ish games but with an eye on the weather outside. All the delicious food which my mother would have prepared was not entirely consumed simply because of the lesser number of arrivals.
Today, when I look out of the window or stand in my balcony, I recall my childhood and the various memories associated with it. I think of all those non happening birthdays :-(. Even in college, it was the same. It was a bit of pain to celebrate my birthday because everyone would be loaded with their raincoats, umbrellas and definitely not their best dressed (you dont want to splash rain water on your good clothes - do you?). Both of our birthdays, Munish's and mine, fall in this wet season...and really, I am not too happy about that. Although, Munish is all very excited and happy with the onset of rains. Somehow, I cannot bring myself to share his enthusiasm as I forsee the wet, dark and cloudy months of water pouring all over forcing us to stay inside.
