MONSOON MUSINGS - 7

I have been here in Salangaon for last 6 days, during this short holiday from some hectic work. The monsoon here seems to have settled into a new time table which suits me fine.

Morning the rain starts around 5 am. For all you know it probably starts before, without me being aware of it as I would be fast asleep during those hours.

So, in the morning I get up and go out to the verandah with a cup of tea to experience the morning fresh air and the rain. And I get an added bonus as I listen to the beautiful music created by innumerable number of birds with the rhythmic patterns created by rain on the tin roof the verandah.

Then by about 10.30 or 11, the sun makes an appearance peeping through the clouds. The sun plays hide and seek with the clouds and in the process charges the solar panels in the campus. This is the time I think of going out to the town. Well, I keep thinking for about 10 minutes and then lazily fall back into the chair, telling myself that I am on a holiday.

So, a bit of sun, a bit of drizzle – what people in many places call ‘the fox marriage’. This expression fox’s marriage is very common in many places in the world. In India and Sri Lanka in almost all languages it is referred to as fox’s marriage. In Japan, it is called ‘kitsune no yumeiri’, meaning fox’s wedding. In South East Asia many countries refer to these sunshowers as fox’s marriage.

Be that as it may, this condition prevails until about 3 pm and then the rains slowly come back. By evening it starts raining heavily again and then it takes a break again at around 9 pm.

This schedule is being kept for last 6 days. I really would like to believe that it is a specially designed holiday package for me. Just laze around, for which I hardly get any chance otherwise!