It’s that time of the year again. The evening sky is heavy with dark clouds. Just a while back there was a fabulous display of lightning followed by deafening loud thunderbolts. I could feel the house tremble. The glass panes of my window shook up in a shiver. Whistling whoooshy sounds of wind echo from the gaps in the windows. The lightning lights the night sky and feels too close for comfort. Then came the downpour. Phew! What a relief ! Finally, the monsoon’s here!

It’s such a gorgeous morning to wake up to. It was a washed-out night before. As I enter the balcony, a gentle breeze caresses my face and sweeps away tendrils. Air smells of warm and woody notes of petrichor. The sky is a shade of whitish grey. I can hear the Asian Koel singing its melodious voice somewhere nearby. The storks and egrets are flying across the sky.  The narrow road snaking through the landscape below is a carpet of fiery Orange Gulmohar flowers, twigs, and leaves from thundershowers last night. The canal nearby, which connects to the creek, is full. The playground is filled with puddles.

As I glance toward the West Coast, the closest in the line of my vision is the green carpet of grass and paddy fields, followed by the layers of palm trees till the shoreline in a dark shade of green after a fresh shower. The monotony is broken only by a few sloping roofs of houses in between. Various shades of green from lime to bottle green paint the landscape in a myriad of colors so soothing to the eyes. A lone farmhouse near the paddy fields surrounded by palms is a picture of beauty. Just near the shore, the lighthouse is barely visible in the cloudy fog.

The scene towards the south is of a fort that stands tall on the horizon overlooking the coast. Palms cover the distance between the fort and me. Closer home, there are gentle ripples in the rectangular pond surrounded by tall trees of all kinds swaying gently in the breeze. The trees are all shades of green with a hint of burgundy here and there, all shapes and sizes. There is a pathway around the pond, where I can see a few morning walkers. Near the boundary of the pond are a few shrubs of touch-me-not. A small swamp separates the pond and the boundary wall of my apartment.  At night there were croaking sounds of frogs from the swamp adding to the cacophony of the sounds. The swamp has tall grasses spread across swaying in the gentle wind.

Towards the east, the farmhouses and palms line up as we move toward the horizon. In between a patch of green meadows followed by the concrete jungle and then hills on the horizon. The hills look majestic and now have a cloud covering its top. Soon they will be covered in green with the trees getting a new lease of life in this season. There is no sign of the Sun this morning.

I stand there soaking in this gorgeous view 270 degrees view in three dimensions. The wind picks up speed suddenly. As anticipated, the clouds have started pouring at the coast, I see the palm tree tops disappearing as the clouds descend. The swathes of tall green grass bend to the will of the gusty wind. The trees start dancing in joy as the squall hits the sea. The clouds cover the distance between me and the shore with racing speed, and I feel stormy winds embrace me as I welcome it with my open arms. The wind tastes sweet with a hint of sultriness as it travels from the sea to me. Oh, what a joy it is when the rain engulfs my being drenching me in ecstasy. Couldn’t have been a better start to the morning, refreshing energizing, and rain-drenched. What more can one ask for?

It pours and pours. As the clouds clear the gorgeous landscape is visible in its abashed glory. What a sight and how lucky I am to witness this through the season and year after year. Happy Monsoons to all.