The revitalising rain!

It's the onset of the monsoon season and with it comes the water-logging, traffic snarls, the deluge and the vehicle breakdowns. But perhaps there is more to the rainy season than we can actually think of sitting at our workstations, going through the grind, stuck in air-conditioned rooms and cubicles, doing rigorous night shifts that might help us climb up our career ladders, but will definitely deprive us of the little joys of life. Childhood used to be so much fun. With the sounds of rain pitter-patting on the window panes, the light breeze whispering tales untold, the faraway field echoing with silent footsteps, little children making paper boats that carried the message of innocent love were all part of life then. Today, on a rainy day, there's hardly any time to pick up that favourite book we read while growing up, flipping through the pages, going back to memories of days long forgotten. There is hardly any time to play in the muddy puddles and watch the beautiful rainbows, to breathe in the fresh air, to play football for hours in the mud and dance in the rain. Now, in our relentless pursuit of aims and ambitions, we have forgotten the pure unbridled happiness that we experienced during the rains of our childhood. The stains on our uniforms, the steaming hot pakodas, those paper boats made out of school notebooks, those droplets on the tree branches are all part of the nostalgia now. It still rains, there are rainbows too and raindrops do collect on the branches as well like little white pearls, but we, as individuals, have lost our innocence and our ability to live and blossom under the natural cover. It's the concrete jungle that has overtaken the bliss of greenery. It is the isolated, self-centred, egotistical 'Us' who have made not only our lives cramped and confined to our aspirations but have negatively affected the world, from a broader perspective. Pollution, food and water crisis, overpopulation, global warming, extinction of species, migration, unemployment, poverty are just a few of the major problems that stare at us today. And possibly, there is no way out for us as we have already caused irreparable damage to Mother Earth.

As we grow up, rain becomes a word that is often used pejoratively. As the sky opens up, we wear a sad look and barge out of the door for the morning commute to work. From washed-out office meetings to sodden days at the night outs, we seem to dislike the rain. But it is this rain that helps us survive. It is this rain that gives us food, helps farmers to water crops, nourishes the environment and serves as a very precious natural resource. After a scorching summer spell, rain brings in moisture and the flowers bloom, the trees grow green and the world looks refreshingly bathed. That is why we love the colour green, a colour that is fed by the rain. As fresh as the petrichor.