Monsoon is the only good change we might experience this year. Ironically, the recent rains were caused by something catastrophic ( Cyclone Tauktae ), but it still made me reminisce some good old days. After months of staying at home and getting baked in a hot oven of a room, the winds and rains were much welcomed. The cyclone has affected a lot of people in ways I cannot fathom, and I am grateful that the harsh winds just passed by my windows.

Yesterday I woke up to the sound of rainfall, instead of the direct sunlight on my face. I looked out the window and it instantly took me back to the time when the first rain meant going out with friends, playing football, having chai and Kanda bhaji, and much more. I stayed there for a while. Past felt good as the cool winds hit me while I was still curled up under my blanket. An escape from reality. I went into a stupor and thought of all the things that I experienced in Monsoon.

Believe it or not, we used to catch crabs during the rainy season. We didn’t hurt them. We just did it for the thrill of it. Children playing Child vs. Wild. The real crazy part is how we used to do it. Firstly, we found some earthworms from under the rocks that have never moved since before Christ. That’s a place for all types of deadly stuff, but also earthworms. We used to pick some up carefully and proceed to the crab holes. We had a big playground with almost a hundred crab holes in it and the rainy season was when all the crabs came out. What we did was absolutely genius. We used the earthworms as bait for the crabs to come out, and when they did, we carefully went behind them and picked them up. We had to be careful of the claws or there was always a chance of them getting hold of our finger and snapping it. We used to get a closer look at them and I remember always being fascinated by their anatomy. This one time, we found a pregnant crab and saw her giving birth. Many hundreds of white crabs, only a little bigger than ants, came out and floated in the water-filled crab hole. All crabs were returned to the safety of their home but I’m not so sure about the earthworms. They were either eaten by the crabs like noodles or we just forgot about them. I’m sorry mother earth about your worms.

I wonder what it is with football and monsoon that is so inviting. It doesn’t even make sense to play because the ball faces resistance in mud and water. But it was always fun to get downright dirty, and it is only acceptable during football. Not to mention the efforts to get that kind of dirt out of those clothes. I’m sure my mom hated me for it. Even the washing machine made angry noises at me.

All of this was when I was a kid. Apart from wanting to play football, almost everything else has changed. I don’t see myself catching crabs now, and going out in rains even much less than that. You see, I realized that the rains are more of a hassle than it is fun. This belief of mine only strengthened as I grew up. As a kid, going out in the rain led to the comfort of home, warm clothes, and good food. As a grown-up, it meant attending lectures or going to the office in your half-wet jeans/trousers. That’s the worst. Traveling in flooded areas, protecting my bag more than myself, getting drenched, letting the clothes dry by themselves, and my skin starting to itch while I study/work is what made me anti-rain. How are we supposed to be productive during rainy seasons? Those are the universal lazy days. I also remember the countless umbrellas and raincoats that I misplaced. My mom must hate me for that too. But it is not to be blamed upon the rains because they are still the same, only I grew up.

I came out of my reverie. The clouds outside were residing now. The rain was slowing down but the winds were getting cooler. I had to find a new comfortable position to sleep. I found it difficult to understand if I had been zoned out to memories or I dreamed all of it. I didn’t ponder upon it as I was warm, comfortable, and enjoyed the weather outside. I went back to sleep.

P.S : cover photo shot on OnePlus by me 🙂