Moment: September 19th, 2019 at 3:43 PM
“You keep taking pictures! Have you literally never seen rain before??”
I’ve been told by my parents for my entire life that India has four seasons: summer, autumn, monsoon, and winter. The royal palace in Jaipur even has four doors to commemorate each of the four seasons, and the peacock door represents the monsoon season. I never believed them though, because every time I’ve come to India, it’s just been swelteringly hot.
In the wise words of my brother, “The four seasons are almost summer, summer, still summer, and WHY IS IT STILL SUMMER?!” But this time, I’m experiencing the phenomenon that is the monsoons, which are mesmerizing. I love waking up to the sound of rain sprinkling on my window panes, looking out to see the grass glistening, and walking out onto the balcony to take a deep breath and inhale the fresh dewy air. I especially enjoy how refreshing it is to ride in autos when the showers come even though I wind up completely drenched by the time I get to
my destination.
But when it rains a lot, it sounds like a wave after crashing wave on the tin roof of our hostel, and sometimes it can be deafening. The first time I hear the rush of water hit the roof like a giant fire hose from the sky, I had to step out of my room to make sure the ceiling wasn’t caving in. In hindsight, that wasn’t the greatest idea ever, because I would have had a serious Chicken Little moment if it were actually falling.
None of us have a problem with it though, because we know how important the monsoon rains are to the people of this country. I mean, I’m from Texas, so I know what it feels like to need rain desperately and not have it. In one of our community engagement class lectures, we learned about the cultural and economic importance of the monsoon rains in Indian culture. My grandma’s sister owns a farm and runs it with her children, so I have seen firsthand how vital the rains are to people’s livelihoods.
They are the inspiration for countless paintings, songs, and religious myths, but they are also vital for the sustaining of agriculture and the water supply in India. Just like the ancient Egyptians counted on the flooding of the River Nile every year to replenish the nutrients in the soil, Indians today rely on the monsoon rains in many aspects of their lives. The monsoons help keep the Indian economy running, and make for some absolutely beautiful sunsets.
All of that makes it worth it to cancel plans or spend a little time in the dark when the downpour inevitably knocks the power out. The other day we were going to an outdoor concert/market at Shilparamam, the arts and crafts village in Hyderabad, but we had to take a rain check (ha, see what I did there?).
Instead, we spent the evening in Salma’s room having a grand time playing Taboo in the light of the setting sun and listening to nostalgic hits. Fittingly, one of the songs was the Year 3000 by the Jonas Brothers, because sometimes it does feel like we might end up living underwater. But don’t worry, we’re doing fine :)
