Outpour in a downpour

To the beat of ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head’. To the smell of ‘Saawan’. To the mayhem of ‘Malle’, To the essence of the rain that I see from the perch of my chair in my room, I try to match the clicking of my keyboard. A Strong wind was blowing and a quick peep outside the window was enough to make me smile, even though it was 3 am.

Something about the rain inspires introspection [and creativity], so I took a trip down the memory lane. That’s the power of rain. It somehow brings back to mind things that seem to have, supposedly, lost their very essence. There are hopes that take birth, misgivings to clutch on to. A few smiles and some tears. Happy moments are relived. They threaten to break the threads of reality and transport you to a world that is private. And yes, enormously accommodating.

These showers are perennial. They have seen us running around excitedly with paper boats and playing in their cool waters. If they have brought smiles to the faces of farmers, they have managed to bring tears to the eyes of street dweller. Often they make us rich with the lush greenery and colorful surrounding but rob us of the shining sun. Silently they beckon us to think of all the lessons life has offered.

Of good times and bad. Of days when we wished time stood still. Of loved ones who are no longer around. Rains also supplement a unique transformation of our tastes – our likes and dislikes. Sipping coffee in a dark room suddenly seems dearer than an evening out with a group of friends. A slow walk in the drizzling rain seems heaven then going around on bikes. Long, lazy drives suddenly become thrilling. A rainbow is considered a more beautiful work of art then a Mercedes Benz.

Rains can change moods, moments and people. That’s probably why one would prefer to dig deep into some heart warming love stories than Salman Rushdie’s Shame. Country music, too, scores over rock or pop. Don Williams ‘That’s the thing about love’ could see the magic being emitted within the four walls of your cosy room, while Madonna might have difficulty winning admirers.

So how does a drizzle transport us to a world of make believe, a world where we construct and deconstruct our dreams? How often has the water outside our window made us wallow in self-pity at losing out on some of the best moments and opportunities in life? Thoughts just rain down and not necessarily superficial ones. For rain promise to let us relive those childhood days when there were smiles and splashes while returning home from school, simply because it was a weekend. Days when going to college was better than a vacation, otherwise long awaited. Times when you rushed under a tree to escape the sudden burst of rain to fade away. Moments when walking with your loved one in a stormy night observing lighting was the best thing you could ask Mother Nature.

But darker thought also intrude. Quietly watching the downpour could also make you relive certain moments which you wished had never happened, which you wish could be forgotten or erased. Times of loss, failure. Watching seamlessly infinite rain can remind you of those who were once closest to you. Of hurting those you promised all the happiness of the world.

But the next time you watch the rain, think of all the people closest to you and the nice times you shared. For, unlike the rains which return every year, once those moments are gone the will never come back.