Monsoon Callin'

       

 “Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain there would be no life.”  ~ John Updike~

   Once again Monsoon is among us. She is here with us to let us have a sigh of relief from hot, humid and dusty summer. Singing the pitter patter tunes, she dribbles on our roof, trickles on our window panes, gushes among the bushes and salivate the dry land all across the country. With the onset of Monsoon, the pompous sun hides behind the veil of clouds, a lush green carpet of grasses caresses our feet, ambition gets rolled in the drizzle of rain and there is a splendid hue of rainbow at the end of every shower. Monsoon acts as the only remedy for the dry, scaly n patchy earth. Greenery signals the advent of Monsoon and animals can be seen content with the fact that there would be abundance of food for them.  

“Upon us a little rain must fall.” Anon

The term “Monsoon” comes from the Arabian word “Mausium” meaning season; a season of excess rainfall. Monsoonal winds develop in parts of all other continents except Antarctica. In Nepal Monsoon arrives in early June and lasts through September. The plain and lower Himalaya receives more than 70 percent of the annual precipitation during the Monsoon. The end of Monsoon brings us the most jovial festivals namely Dashain and Tihar.

In a country such as ours where people thrive on agriculture, the onset of Monsoon is always taken as a boon. Monsoon brings in work, food and fills in this part of the world. People welcome and celebrate Monsoon as one of the major guests. Nepal is known for its huge pantheon of Hindu deities and has a multiplicity of God thought to bestow crucial blessing of rain. In Nepal the onset of Monsoon is synonymous to funds as the Government allocates the budget in the very same season. Its impact is felt in each and every sector. It’s is very pitiful and scornful to say that the roads built by the Government breaks down after the first Monsoon, the love birds mingle and crumble after the Monsoon, the trees dresses and shades after the same Monsoon. With boon comes the bane and so is the story with the Monsoon too. If she brings life, she brings with her the disaster too. Floods and landslides are the most common phenomenon related with her. Even then, we all love the Monsoon and her charismatic presence.

       “Romance is usually a nice little tale where you have everything as you like it, when rain never wets your jacket and gnats never bite your nose and it’s always daisy time.” ~ D.H. Lawrence

   The drizzle, downpour, shower; all lets us enjoy and submerge in the plethora of happiness that Monsoon brings for us. Monsoon has lot to offer; hence we are always on the move to rejoice her presence among us. Just a feeling that Monsoon is among us evokes a sense of freedom, romance and intimacy in our heart mind and soul. Most of us share many common stories relating to Monsoon. A walk in the drizzle with the loved ones, the rejuvenating first rain drop on our face when feeling lonesome, the maniac hop on the top with the friends and the long stare out of the window lost in the glimpse of the yester years makes Monsoon a thrilling season to be explored for.

“I love the rain. I want the feeling of it on my face.” Katherine Mansfield