On a rainy day

Rain signifies different things to different people. To some its a welcome relief and a pleasurable experience and to some others, sheer inconvenience.

To me it means absolute delight! One way I enjoy rain is get out into the open and experience the rain drops pelleting my face and the other is within the confines of my room in my own way. The smell that arises when the first rain drops drench the soil that has been scortching with heat and let the first surge of coolness spread through the air, wow that heavenly smell, its inexplicable!

When I was smaller, me and my kid brother used to run out into the open at the sight of rain. We splatter around in the rain all we want, standing in the terrace where we are least likely to be seen by anybody, while our parents keep an eye on us in case there is sudden lightning or thunder, for fear that it might strike down as we are on the upper floor. It did happen once when ligtning actually struck just a feet away from where we stood, luckily for us, we were safe.

Once we are done and nice and dry, my mind conjures up visions of a cup of hot chocolate(I'm not a coffee person) even better if sprinkled with marshmallows, and some spicy, piping hot snack - the one that comes to my mind instantly is molagha bajji (Normaly I hate bajjis but molagha bajji, well thats a totally different thing!). This combination can be substituted with a cup of cold butterscotch ice-cream too on rare occasions if I feel like it! Armed with either of these and a book to read, I curl up in my grand father's rocking chair. The distant humming of the rain, my book and my warm drink, the darkness in my room - ultimate bliss!.......My eye-lids slowly drop and I fall into a slumber while the coziness envelopes me and all I feel is the snugness and warmth.

When its time to bed, often with no power due to the downpour, appa, me, my brother and amma would build up a sort of tent on our bed. Pretending the bed-sheet we used for a tent to be our ceiling, we would cuddle up inside our tent. I had fluorescent stickers of the moon and the stars stuck on the walls of my room - the ones that glow in the dark, giving us the feeling that we were actually camping out in the open looking up to the sky, the moon, the stars and all. Snuggling together we would play games and sing along. Squeals, giggles and laughter would fill the room.......Memories that flood me with nostalgia!!!