I think I noticed
it soon enough. There was an addition to the dull silence of my room and the
low rumble of the ceiling fan; I could hear an thin drizzle. There could have been
a leakage anywhere outside, but my heart leapt in hope; the book fell out of my
hand, the chair slipped off my butt and in a flash I was leaning over the
railing of my apartment’s balcony. There it was, a light drizzle stretching as
far as I could see.
Oh! There was
nothing more comforting than this! The splash of those countless droplets on
Earth, the smell of moist soil that wafted up to me and the hug of the cool
breeze; whom did it not turn into an artist? Whom did it not turn into a lover?
Could there be a soul to walk this planet who did not crave the touch of this
natural wonder? Could there be a sorrow that wasn’t vanished by the sound of
this mystical? Not once did this friend of mine fail to bring a smile upon me. I
stretched my arm over the balcony and felt a droplet touch my palm. “Been a
while there Comrade”, I asked.
“Heyloooo!” The
rain cheered, and I saw that the drizzle suddenly turned into a shower. “I am
sorry da, you know I am not in full control of things.” My friend had sensed that
I was indeed disappointed with his delay. But I was aware that it wasn’t an
easy matter for him to come, the winds had to approve, the time of his arrival,
and the duration of his stay. In our town, that wasn’t such a long time.
“Your brilliance
has lost no glory my friend!” I commented.
“And your sword
of poetry is sharp as ever my brother!” He sang back.
“Poet? Hardly!
You know how I struggle to string words together”
“It’s not just
about words you know. Every person who sees with his heart is a poet. Every
person who feels and cares is a poet. It doesn’t matter what you care for. Just
empathise, and that makes you a poet. Your poetry could flow out in the form of
words, music, art or what not. It’s not the product, but the source that makes you
a poet!”
“And if this
outflow can be in the form of water”, I replied, “You, my friend, are the greatest
poet!”
“How about a cup
of tea?” Rain hadn’t completed its sentence before I shouted to my mother, “Amma,
I am going outside for a cup of tea!”
“Isn’t it raining
outside?” she asked. It was a question I was prepared for. “Just drizzling… I
have an umbrella... Be back soon!” I dashed.
“So? What’s new?”
He enquired as I started walking up the street. I had adjusted my umbrella for
the wind, but my feet still got wet. Meh, who cares!
“Preparing for
exams, that’s all. Just a couple of months away you know. And how are things at
your end?”
The sound of the
rain over my umbrella was music. And out there, the hug of the breeze was even
more intimate. “The usual… Hey, did u visit the new place they are developing outside
the town?” He was talking about… well, let’s just call the place, “The City”.
“Not yet, but I hear
it’s buzzing already”, it sure was in the newspapers. All people had to talk
about was about the investments coming in and the buildings popping up. The
news made noise over both sides of the scene, about how erratic and unplanned
the construction was, and also about how vibrant the city had become, how much
jobs it was creating and the whole new life style that was setting. On that
page again, there was a lot of noise – Obviously!
“It’s Beautiful”,
I saw a flash a lightning up ahead, followed by a slow rumble. Hope Amma didn’t
hear that, she would be worried sick! “I have never seen anything like it!”
Rain continued, and so did the lightning.
“So did you
shower there too? Was that the delay?” Yes, I was jealous.
“No, I didn’t
actually. Lingered there for a while, but then decided against it.”
Now, that was a
really curious incident. My friend, the Rain, was plain and straightforward,
showering upon any land that came it’s path. He didn’t care whether it was a
city, a village or a forest, he blessed anything that he passed by. And he loved
it. Every time Rain visited me, he would share stories. How he was received,
how the children ran about when he came, how people thanked the skies upon his
arrivals, how animals and birds sang to greet him. There was an unmatched zest
in his voice as he spoke about it, and I could find no reason why he would skip
a town. I voiced my concern.
“Well, I was a
bit worried actually! The place was so beautiful. Spotless! Really… I didn’t
have the heart to shower over there.”
This was a side
to Rain, I had never seen before. More than a friend, the Rain was my guide, my
mentor, my older brother. He was the mature one. He was the one who dispelled
my fears and now… He sounded scared.
“But I didn’t
want to leave the place either. I wanted to shower, really! But… I was almost
sure they wouldn’t like it!”
“Wait! Are you
SMITTEN for that city?” I asked in sheer shock.
“WHAT?”
“Well, I say that
any person, or force of nature, who is capable of experiencing joy, is doomed
to experience every other emotion.”
“WHAT!?”
“You have a crush
on the -” Before I could complete, the Rain interjected.
“I do not have a
crush on the city!” I spotted a pinkish hue on the clouds which was definitely
not a lighting effect by the sun. “I am just scared! Really scared!”
That’s because you are smitten, I wanted to say, but instead asked, “And
why is that?”
“Because it’s a
Beautiful city!” Ahha! Gotcha! Even the rain spotted the slip of his
tongue and responded with a Blast of thunder above me.
“Beautiful City
huh?” I chuckled. But then I added with serious concern, “But tell me, why
should you be scared?”
“Because it is a Beautiful city!” The droplets
pounded around me with more force now. I could sense a certain frustration in
his voice now. After a moment, he calmed down and started answering, one by
one.
“The city is a
strange place. I mean, they seem so vibrant and smart, yet they are surprised
when they see me. They know I am going to visit them twice a year and yet they
seem shocked at every shower. And… They hate that! You have no idea how taken
aback I was when it happened the first time.
“The city did not
have adequate drainage for my water to flow, and neither was there soil for the
water to seep in, so the water rose on the surface and you wouldn’t believe how
angry the people were. It is so depressing!
“They are an
angry lot, I know. But whenever I visit, they join forces and direct all their
anger at me. The current goes off, or when network connection is down, or if a
tree falls, or the garbage starts to smell, if the water enters their house or
forms a puddle on the road, or even if the road gets damaged, if the mosquitoes
start to breed and spread diseases, WHATEVER happens, I am responsible.
“And guess what,
if they don’t have sufficient water supply, or if their water is too hard, or
if the heat is unbearable, even then I am to be blamed. You have no idea how
frustrating the irrationality of these folks is!
“To watch the
garden flourish and the grass wet, to appreciate all that beauty, or to let
children run about and get wet, Oh my! City people let hell loose if they find
children running in the rain. I know, to enjoy my arrival may be much to ask
for. But come on, is it that difficult to accommodate me as a guest at least.
Or even an ordinary supplier! Oh no, they are all too busy for that. I just see
them running, up and about for God knows what.”
The wind was
blowing more fiercely as Rain continued to speak, “So I usually detest
showering in cities. But this one, I don’t know man, the people looked
different over there. They were all smiling. They seemed happy. And that made
me all the more scared! Would I be ruining their merriness? Would they be all
the more mad at me? I couldn’t bear to see those joyous faces turn bitter…
“But I desperately
want to be around them too. I wish they would accept my arrival. I wish I could
be the cause for a little more of their happiness. Ughh…!”
By then the Rain
had turned into a proper Thunderstorm, swinging up and down in intensity.
Grabbing the hold of my Umbrella with full strength, I spoke, “You have got to
calm down Bro! Take it easy. I know how you feel. You are smitten by the City,
and that is absolutely normal, just listen to me!”
I don’t know
whether he actually listen to me or just got tired, but he calmed down for a
moment. I didn’t say anything until he gestured me to, quite pleadingly.
“First of all,
you can’t assume that this City is going to be like every other one. You cannot
typecast it. Yes, I agree, there is a probability that the city could be
everything you describe, but there is also a probability that That won’t be
true. You have to be positive.”
The wind reduced
to a breeze and the Thunderclaps (Ohhh! Bloody Blundaleomite, I hope Amma didn’t
hear them!) had stopped. As the shower evened out and the clouds let the sun
shine through a thin gap, I smiled up at my friend. “What?” he asked. I just
continued smiling, and suddenly he joined in too. “What?” he asked again.
“I know that
feeling you are going through. And I think it is beautiful!”
“It is
Frustrating!”
“I know, but I
love it. And I know somewhere, the greatest poet will love it too!” I spoke on
with a smile, a smile that signaled strength you had gained through experience,
“What you have going on right now, that is the first step to one of the most
glorious things in the world. You are at the doorstep of Love my friend! What
awaits you is an ocean of joy!
“And the fear you
experience, it is exactly the fear that a sailor would experience before he set
sail. You are about to enter something magnificent! Something so beautiful, yet
so powerful that it could crush you. But you know what, I love that feeling.
The feeling of standing and looking at the ocean, waiting for it to consume
you!
“What is the
worst that could happen? You could fail. So what! Everybody fails… But what
else could happen? You could fall in Love! Think about it, it’s a fair bet. If
the City liked you, if the City loved you, Wow, wouldn’t that be worth
everything!”
I closed my eyes
and listened to the shower around me, and recollected my own memories, a large quantity
of which existed. Every time that girl looked at you, or texted you or called
you, the quickening of your heartbeat, and the racing of your breath! The
excitement, the rush… Oh! That is beautiful!
Rain took a deep
sigh and I saw the umbrella fly out of the hands of another person who walked
down the street. “Perhaps!” He said, “so strange how one behaves when
threatened huh?”
“Even the wisest
can be brought to his knees when caught unawares”, I acknowledged.
“You seem to have
a LOT of experience.”
“Hey, there are
some things at which no force of nature can compare with humans. You might know
of beauty and stuff, but when it comes to handling emotions, we, especially
myself, am a master!”
The Rain still
beat down steadily as I finished my cup of tea and started walking back home,
when suddenly I felt a pulse down my thighs. I fished the cell phone from the
pocket and my heart stopped beating! Across the screen were written three
words, “Devika Rajee… Calling…”
With my shivering
thumb I dragged the green button and spoke, “Hello… Hello… Hellooo…?” There was
no voice at the other end. Could she have called me by mistake? Was that a
pocket call? Or was it a prank!? O God… Wait, there was no signal in my cell.
The Rain! The Rain had messed with the cell phone towers, there was no network!
“BLOODY FISH
RAIN, YOU’D BETTER CLEAR OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I
HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS, IF YOU RUIN IT, TRUST ME YOU ARE GOING TO PAY! ONE
MORE DROP AND MIND YOU! RUN!!!”
I could hear a
distant laugh as the clouds made way for the bright and shiny Sun, slowly
sinking in the west. “Hello…” I spoke again, my heart pounding against my
chest.
“Heyy… hi!”
(This blog is a special dedication to two wonderful people who are
celebrating their birthday on the 12th of February. I wish you both,
all the luck and happiness in this world, with all my heart, and give this to
you as a little birthday present. You are special)
