Monsoon – It’s that time of the year and once again, it’s time to celebrate! The heavy grey thunderclouds have blown in and the much-awaited monsoon has set. Rain, in all its glory, is like Manna from the heavens above and each downpour, a welcome break by the parched land. At times it’s a heavy downpour where the skies just open up with thunder and lightning and at other times it’s just a caressing drizzle, the droplets not even felt.
Here in Sethumadai, the entire scenario changes during the Monsoon. One shower is enough for the dry brown mountains to take on a greenish hue, and the dusty canal roads to fill up with small puddles.
The morning after the rains, the air smells fresh and pure which prods one to take a deep breath and look around at life, springing anew.
Book your Monsoon Experience here!
There’s life in abundance, everywhere and there’s plenty to do for everybody. The coconut palms seem to be standing a little taller, the birds a little louder and the flowers a little brighter. The Bugs and beetle scurry around a little faster. Even the grazing cows seem to walk a little faster with a jaunty little step, eager to taste the fresh green grass. The Koel gets ever louder, heralding the dawn of the new season while the Peacock shimmers with his new long tail.
During the day, the bright sunshine provides a welcome break for the birds that had huddled in the cold wet night to preen and dry their feathers. The ants get busy, clearing the sand that has been washed into their homes. The Termites take to their wings to perform their one chance, at the dance of life, a tempting feast for the varied birds that congregate at this unexpected winged meal.
The birds mend their nests with a little more cobweb and cotton to cushion their young ones. They feed their young ones with ardent frenzy, to quickly help them fly off before the next rain.
The footprints of the light birds on the dry dusty roads have been washed off to be replaced with heavy ones. Mushrooms spring up overnight, sparking a perpetual debate if edible or not.
As the hot humid afternoon progresses the small birds like myna and bee-eaters splash around in the puddles.
The chameleons and lizards sit idly, gazing unseeingly, relishing the hot sunlight on its back.
At night, the croaking of the frogs reaches a crescendo, wooing the females to their side.
As for the farmer, he gets ready to plow his wet field. It’s the season to sow his rain-fed crops such as groundnuts and corn for a bountiful harvest. Those of us in towns and cities it’s time to clear the roof of leaf litter, overturn bins and containers to avoid collecting water and see that the rainwater percolates into the water harvesting system.
Then, sit back and enjoy this profound moment, as we are a part of this miracle. Each drop of rain a miracle, with the power to sustain a very unique planet in the entire cosmos. Rains are the miracle of life on the only planet in all the hundreds of planets and galaxies surrounding us. So conserve! As each and every drop of rain is truly manna from the heavens.
PS – The author is drawing a comparison of the rains to “Manna” – a biblical term used to describe the substance, that GOD miraculously supplied as food to the Israelites in the wilderness.
