“Oh! God. This Belagavi rain”. How many of you have said this in this past week? I did. 10 times every day. But not grudgingly because the typical Belagavi rain has returned after many years. In my childhood, it rained from June to October. And when the rain waters gushed from across the bridge (we had only one) from Mangal Metal Works to the other side, my school St. Joseph’s, would give us a holiday for a day or two. Bliss.
Invariably, one or two large rain trees would have fallen in the back ground (yes yes, you read it right, St. Joseph’s has a front ground, middle ground and background. Don’t ask why).
The Naala at Shastri Nagar had a rickety bridge (!) made with wooden planks, one or two missing. It would overflow and rainwater would gush inside the houses. Same with the Naala at Maratha Colony (even now). Then we would call school friends over landline phone and ask how much water stands in their houses.
The wells in my house in Shahapur (yes we have two, one in the middle ground and one at the background) would well up (!) to the brim and we would pull water with bare hands using buckets. That was a marker for too much rain. Nothing much has changed for Belagavi even now. Except that too many intelligent young ones venture out on bikes to SEE the gushing waterfalls. If it rains, water falls. Why the need to risk your life for that? Now if it rains, it’s about the drains.
Humans throw waste around their places, create garbage and then expect the authorities to clean it up. No responsibility, no accountability.
It’s peak July, it’s Ashadh month. Mother Earth is in full bloom. Go out and see, every little shoot is happy. Yes it’s raining, yes we are feeling low and we feel like doing nothing and sitting at home sipping tea. Yes, the clothes are not drying, the houses are damp, the raincoat is not enough and the umbrella flies away in the gales. Yes, you can’t go for a walk nor can you enjoy. The clinics are crowded with sniffles of colds and sounds of coughs. But we should not feel low.
This was how July was meant to be. It nurtures us for the whole year. These rains will give us water, the harvest will be good and so will the winter. So don’t complain. Because if you complain about this rain now, you will complain about not having water in March. Or February even. Oh! Its so cold, it’s so hot … it’s raining are all excuses for those who have nothing meaningful to do. The others are busy creating their lives for themselves and their loved ones.
Get up. Light up your house, keep it well-lit because darkness causes gloom. Visit the market and see the sea of green out there- all leafy vegetables smiling at you. It’s their time to shine. Light up Agarbatti- vanilla, chocolate or strawberry is better. Dress up well for yourself. Carry spare clothes to the office if you must. Iron more. Use hot water to sip. Speak to your friends and family. Put on some happy music. Crack stupid jokes and laugh out loud. You may not see the sun, but you can be your own sunshine.