A winter morning

The Daffodils amid yellow frills

And lovely tendrils

Are dancing with the gentle wind

Beneath the tiny hills

The morning dew

With a day so new

Has covered all the view

From far above

The sun looks down

Upon the cooing dove

My heart smiles

And I see for miles

The endless light blue skies

I shall make sure

The dream remains

When the night bids me goodbyes

Rain-in my heart, in my soul!

  

  So finally, it rained yesterday, bringing in the monsoon for the city. I was sitting in my bedroom chatting with a friend on g-talk and suddenly heard something roaring outside, of course it were the clouds. Noise that rain drops made on the shed in the balcony sounded like symphony to the ears, cool breeze swung open the door and greeted me; I almost felt like hugging it, but alas, have you ever seen wind staying at a place for more than a second, I guess never. I thought, so be it, at least it came and met me (although not suitably).

It had become so dark at 6 in the evening that it nearly felt like night. I got outside in the balcony and cursed the instance when I had decided to cover it with a shed, this way I could only hear the noise of the raindrops but couldn't have the feel of it. The earthy smell of first rain is very sweet and it fills your senses with utter pleasure; a pleasure that is indescribable. It wasn't only I who was pleased because of the sudden breakdown of the clouds…the trees, plants and the birds too were in a joyous frame of mind, it seemed. Rain makes everything look clearer; the green is more green, the blue is more blue…even the black is pure after coming in contact with it! The fact that it’s transparent draws me towards it more; everything becomes crystal clear through it.

Just a few days ago I was anticipating monsoon, and when it arrived I did not know how to welcome it. May be that’s how life brings happiness to us, in a very unexpected way, we are waiting for it our whole life long and when it actually knocks at our doors, we are clueless about what to do with it; we are not actually enjoying that it came our way but are worried as to how to make it stay forever. And in this process that very moment is lost; it’s gone with the wind, only to come back after a lifelong wait.

Uh! Did I distract you from the main theme…just to remind you its rain that we are talking about.  Back to from where we started.

Never understood why people call rainy days gloomy, where for me they are so colorful-filled with lots of greens and yellows. They fill me up with sheer nostalgia from the days of childhood, the carefree days where rain meant a day off from school and spent at home playing in the rain. I used to love making boats with paper and seeing them sail in the clogged water with the help of blowing wind. Leaving behind its traces, the rain would be gone the next morning with the paper boats there, jammed in the mud. In the later years, walking in the rain, soaking in the sweet earthy fragrance and feeling the wind pass by became the most favorite hobby.  Rain is also a significant symbol of homecoming-the birds fly back to their nests, the animals seek for a shelter and the humans come back to their homes. With that I want to share something personal, for me the most content feeling is when my whole family is around in the warmth of my home, safe and sound, while the rain storms the world outside. I feel calmed, I feel happy and I feel contented by the proximity of the family members- that’s what rains do to you, bring you closer and that is probably why they can never be gloomy for me.

It’s been more than a month since I started writing this post, and when am on the verge of finishing it, it’s still raining.

Times have changed; I no more make paper boats. Now, I sit by my window, completely ensnared by the beauty of rain, savoring and admiring it…the incredibly gauzy rain!

A walk down the ‘Mumbai’ lane

Quite a long break from writing!  Have not been busy at all, I can say that I didn’t have much to write or something interesting to write on and get away with it.  But I seriously did not intend for such a long break. Again, around this time of the year, I find myself in Mumbai. This time in a different home, different locality, lesser trees, lots of buildings, 4^th floor, blue sky, birds flying and dogs barking….this is how it is!  Mumbai, now, feels like a home away from home. I always say that the reason behind my liking for Mumbai is that I find it very similar to my native place- Banaras. I know a lot of you are guffawing at this thought of mine, right now; but serious or funny, true to me.

I remember when I first visited Mumbai, it did not seem like a stranger to me. I was here for my internship, the monsoon had already taken off and it rained cats and dogs almost every day.  I landed here on a Saturday so I had a day to settle down at my sister’s. Had heard about the local trains a lot and dreaded at the thought of boarding it. Folks at home were not of any help either as every now and then I would hear someone say –“how will you go to your office, it’s so far and you are not used to the locals (local trains); besides they are not as sophisticated as the Delhi Metro, knowing you, we are quite sure that you are going to run off on the very first day.”  And I would think to myself – “was it a bad idea after all, taking an internship in Mumbai?”

Monday morning I woke up early, you can say that I did not sleep at all waiting for the dawn. Anxiety and excitement- after all it was my first day at work! Picked one of the best shirts out of the lot, dressed up, put on a little make-up, and dabbed on my favorite perfume-voila-I was ready for office! My brother -in -law was to take me to the office and get me a little acquainted with the way. Rain, a traffic mess, auto break down, humidity-I thought if there was a hell anywhere, this was it! I boarded the train with a look on my face that clearly said I can kill anyone who would dare to come in my way. It was a male coach and therefore overtly crowded. I don’t know how people breathed in there. After some 40 minutes I reached Grant Road from where I had to take a taxi to the office which was in Tardeo. First day was absolutely pleasant at work; people were friendly and very helpful. By the end of the day I had the client servicing people calling me with a nick name -“Delhi girl”, perhaps because my name has never been easy to pronounce.  Although my brother-in-law had said to inform him before I left the office so he could tell me which train I should take for home as his office was at a walking distance from Grant Road; I decided not to tell him.

As I walked out of the office, the clouds had already begun to take on the blue sky and it was quite windy. “Ah!” I thought “perfect”, though I love rain and everything about it, don’t know why I felt a little strange. May be because I was in a different city…may be because I was fully aware that I was in a different city. As soon as I started walking, asking the taxi-drivers for Grant Road ,the strange feeling was gone; almost all of them were from UP. I sat in the taxi, looked out of the window it had started to drizzle. I felt at home as if a bird had found a shelter while flying back to her nest in a storm. The sky looked serene- it was a quiet drizzle unlike Delhi’s growling rains. The wind was well-behaved too, like it wanted to serenade me in its arms and swirl me to the music of the rain drops. I was home after some 2 hours of journey. By the end of the week I was well acquainted with Mumbai, which was a mere stranger to me just a few days ago.

I am often spell-bound with the vastness of the sea and it was in Mumbai that I first witnessed anything as enormous as a sea. I was absolutely in love with the city of sea. The immensity and the profundity of the sea mesmerize me; At times it is that silent whisperer, who offers sweet nothings to your ears and on the others it is so aggressive that you will fear going near it. I wish I could just sit by the sea and stare through it for an eternity. It has given me some very precious moments…moments that still bring smile to my face when I think about them.

Another fact that I love about Mumbai is that it made me meet someone, an absolute charmer, whom I will admire for the rest of my existence. Someone who gave me cherishing moments for life, someone who made me see how beautiful life can be.  Although we had been friends since long but it was in Mumbai that I met him in person, for the first time. I met him at Andheri-West railway station, for the first time and since then there has been no looking back. The station had two entrances and I still remember how he came climbing through the stairs, as he was at the very opposite of the place I was at. It began with exchange of smiles and continues like that, still! The second time I met him is unforgettable (for me) - it is that striking. I clearly remember the crazy wind at Juhu and sweet rain at band stand, which made the gorgeous evening more gorgeous, as if they are some captured moments in my mind and I just have to flip through them. Mumbai had never looked so beautiful and charming to my eyes before. I fondly call him ‘happiness’ and when I think of it there cannot be an apt name for him than this. He is certainly amongst the foremost reasons that I keep coming back to Mumbai; that I keep coming back to ‘happiness’!

 Apparently, for me Mumbai has been the city of ‘firsts’. It has given me liberty, a sense of independence, a friend forever and that’s how Mumbai remains close to my heart and will remain like this everlastingly! 

An Apple Tree

An apple tree with fruits so green

How happy it looks with yellow leaves

A boy who sits under it every day

Thinks only of yellow and green dreams

Birds tweak their beaks inside its fruits

Sun rises on it without a miss

Moonlight and breeze make the tree twist and twirl

And this is how a day goes by in the life of an apple tree-with fruits so green