I don’t know how many of you out there love the monsoon as much as I, but the onset of this season somehow always brings a smile to my face… born in August on the day, supposedly when Mumbai was hit by one of the worst deluges in years. Perhaps the first sounds I heard were those claps of thunder and the incessant downpour… all leading to my great fondness of this season. 

Starting from the onset of June, all the way to end-September, Mumbai’s monsoons hold the city ransom. All around, it’s as if the heavens have suddenly wrapped it in this magical, mystical aspect. Have you heard the wind whistling and the trees whispering? The cascade of raindrops orchestrating the perfect tune? It’s almost as if the heavens have given us a respite, a pause, a thorough refreshing douse from all that dirt, stain, filth of those searing, hot months and fierce heat. 

 

That first shower is always extra special. Never to miss shutting one’s eyes and breathing in that hypnotic, fresh earthy smell – ‘petrichor’- of refreshing rain meeting parched earth, so divine so pure. You just want to bottle up that ‘after-rain’ scent and keep it! 

Some define bad weather as rainy weather. ‘Rain’ is a word often used pejoratively. “Oh, it’s raining again,” we mutter, slinking out of our doors for that morning commute, umbrellas in tow. Weather forecasters look sad and with an almost apologetic shake of the head inform us of overcast skies and more rain. And yes, we do have washed out birthday parties and rain-sodden days at football pitches, wet streets and terrible traffic. It could be challenging to change our perspectives on this constant, sometimes torrential, precipitation. It can get rather difficult to see rain as anything other than a nuisance – wet weather, wet clothes, wet shoes with wet footprints all over your pristine floors! Then there’s that unpredictable quality that has you darting back and forth between showers and rude cloud bursts, tossing out timings and routines, held helpless in the wake of its inclement, unreliable nature. 

Oh! One thing’s for sure – the rains can be as temperamental as the lady next to you! That difficulty in hailing a cab, that annual visit of that dreaded flu and that spike in malaria and dengue has the city worn down and struggling, and of course, it’s all the rains at fault! After all, not all folks are Pluviophiles. I, on the other hand, choose to ignore the traffic blocks, the potholes, the sewage issues and then all I am left with is an honest reflection on the vagaries of life… it’s a paradox how the storm waging outside can beautifully calm the one waging inside.

I love the forlorn, grey skies, I love that earthy smell of soil and sod and I most definitely love the soft sounds of pattering rain on windowpanes and rooftops. I love the sway of palm trees, almost like a dance dotted all along our waterfronts. I love the songs of the trees and the hushed poetry of raindrops sparkling on smooth leaves. I love the serpentine trails of water rivulets that frolic along the sides of streets, only to gush and then gurgle, to finally disappear into underground drains. I love the thought of open, vast country stretches and their subterranean parched underground bellies satiated with water. 

I love the soft, hectic play of the ocean at first, with those tentative whitecaps or, at the most, assertive lapping. But in minutes, it can change, getting a true running start and then I’m just about ready to see the alchemy of rain and sea! This wild ocean unleashed, roiling currents, torrential downpour… all in perfect, untamed accord…  the crash of giant waves, the thunderclaps, lightning streaks – all in native harmony with those dark skies, savage clouds and lusty landscape… the skies, seas and land all shredded in turbulent rage, never look more beautiful!

Nothing pleases me more than a good read, a great cry and some comfort food, curled up in a cosy blanket, comfy with a hot beverage indoors, while all of nature is at its uproarious best. Does a rainy-day forecast conjure up delightful images for you? Are you part of that special tribe of pluviophiles who absolutely love the rain, even as the rest of the world whines endlessly about being wet and cold. You meanwhile fantasize and delight in those delicious drops pouring down and wonder how someone could not appreciate a gloriously gloomy day! 

People who love rain are people who bask in their experiences. They love this time to pause and reflect. They are receptive creatures with creative sensibilities and sharp emotional keenness. They can describe the rain in vivid detail, from the mesmerizing pitter-patter sounds, to the hypnotic rhythm each drop magnifies and changes the scenery on the other side of that windowpane, as birds revel in those shallow pools of water and the scent of the storm. They enjoy the tangible feel of water dripping down their skin and those cold drops pummelling their face, challenging the smooth elasticity of their skin, the taste of those fresh drops sweeter than wine! 

Arms outstretched upwards, twirling around, that little girl is a bona fide pluviophile! You can spot them early on, childhood memories an avid pluviophiles often reflect on those never-to-be-forgotten, long walks with toes soaking wet in rain shoes, clothes drenched through and through, lost in the moment, playfully splashing through puddles, tracking their happiness with those streams of water along the roads and paths cut out where the rain leads them. Rain goddesses are introspective; they are shy introverts but come the rains and they metamorphose into dazzling butterflies! 

 

If you’ve enjoyed dancing between raindrops, singing every rain song, if Eddie Rabbitt’s ‘I Love a Rainy Night’ has always been a favourite on your playlist, if your wet hair and washed makeup doesn’t bother you, then you, my friend, are a true rain worshipper! Pluviophiles know just how to look at the simple realities of life and put them in context. A little rain will not have them freaking out… after all its a few tiny raindrops and not the zombie apocalypse! If you ever need someone to talk you off a ledge, go find someone who loves the rain. Chances are they will have you in your Zen place in no time!