Ghanan Ghanan

The rains are here. Actually they are not yet here. But the Monsoon season is here. What a relief from the sweltering heat that has been beating down upon us over the past few months.

And symbolically, as if to coincide with the season, I started reading 'Chasing the Monsoons' by Alexander Frater yesterday. Alexander Frater in this book greets the monsoons at Trivandrum and follows its path up to Bombay stopping at Cochin and Goa en route. He then travels to Cherrapunji, Calcutta Varanasi and Delhi to complete his journey. His writing is simple and it captures in some detail the effect this season has on the many people who call India their home.

Monsoons are very capricious in nature. The Indian Monsoons are part of one of the world's most complicated weather systems that isn't understood perfectly even today. Starting south of equator over the Indian Ocean, the winds are drawn towards the subcontinent because the landmass is hotter than the surrounding seas. These winds pickup the evaporating moisture as they travel over the seas and these moisture laden clouds burst as rains over the landmass. If only it was that simple. Multitude of factors like warming of Tibetan peninsula, jet streams ,trade winds, Coriollis forces on crossing the equator, Westerlies and El Nino effect the timing and the amount of rains the subcontinent would receive that season.

The rains affect our lives in so many ways. We have made huge strides in science yet we haven't understood the awesomely complex weather phenomenon to make exact predictions. Now add to this changes due to global warming, differential heating of ocean surfaces, ice caps melting and climate change and we have a black box. The differences between an astrologer and weather scientist soon begins to fade. (Weather scientists have my utmost respect and sympathies).

Rains have been part of history, mythology, literature, poetry, songs, romance and popular culture for eons. From season specific raagas to romantic and even sensual poetry the monsoons inspire us all. Alexander Frater describes the moment when he is standing at Kovalam Beach in Trivandrum holding hands with strangers watching the black clouds race towards them from the distant horizon. A motley crowd gathered from around the country waits for the first rains of the season to hit them. I can almost feel their ecstasy and feel like rejoicing when the rain drenches their bodies and warms their spirits. I can't remember the last time I got soaked to the bone and was so happy or at least nonchalant about it.

And as I was reading this, it hit me that I have possibly got 'de-seasonised' in some aspects. I spend most of my day in air conditioned office complaining about the burning heat that I cannot avoid over the weekends. And when the rains come I am excited. Excited about taking a walk on Marine drive or sitting near my small sit-out of my house, sipping hot chocolate, listening to music and reading while the rain purifies the world around me. While I enjoy this initially, I soon settle into the rant around not getting autos, potholes, clothes remaining damp etc. You get the picture.

So this monsoons you are going to find me cribbing to a much lesser extent (can't completely avoid it na) and trying to connect more with the season. I will learn a little more about the weather system that causes this monsoon much beyond what my geography text books have taught me, read more about poetry and literature down the ages, understand how this season affects/affected farmers, artisans, kings, wars and society and so on.

I have a lot of reading lined up and I am starting with something that I wanted to read always - Ritusamharam by Kalidasa.