On the first week of June, Mumbai welcomed the monsoon of 2008. I watched it arrive, alone…which is probably the best way, with the rain.
The skies heralded the season of water.
And then I watched the drops paint the sidewalk a shiny, sheeny gloss of life.
The traffic revved, feet sped up and umbrellas burst open to the infinitely grey sky.
Did the colour grey ever stop you in your tracks? It did, me.
This is my contribution to the blog-a-thon on Street Harassment organized by Blank Noise Project. Mama says don’t go here, don’t go thereDad tells me to stop ‘attracting attention’ with my clothesMa tells me she doesn’t have a problem if I look good; only that other people will think so…
North-Indians unwelcome.South-Indians unwelcome.Muslims unwelcome. Singletons unwelcome.Couples unwelcome. Artists unwelcome.Drinkers unwelcome. The City of Gold, blessed land of Mahalaxmi that was once given as a princess’s dowry is a treasure no more. I’d like to say the average man on the street doesn’t carry these notions but the scary thing is…
He looks at her from the corner of his eyeThinking she won’t noticeSecretly hoping she willSo secret, he won’t even admit to himself She feels his lookLike sunlight, warm on her cheeksHer eyes stay downcastShielded from his blinding gazeWarmed nevertheless by its intensity Then it starts to rain.
A cartoon about watching a movie in Andheri
If you were a place, where would you be?
Please do NOT do the following, for your own safety, sanity and that of other citizens of this city:
@ JustSo: Gah, I so hear you!
@ Crimson Shimmer: Thank you!
@ Ashwin: I know what you mean.
@ Cynic: Nope. Aapan mail madhe boloo ya.
@ chennairamblings: Really? They usually give me a cold. 🙂 But this one time was the first shower and I couldn’t resist.
@ Anon Y. Mouse: So I’ve been told.
@ vivek khandelwal:
@ Tarun Chandel: If you say so. 🙂
There is nothing like the Mumbai rains and the first one is always special.
Tarun Chandels last blog post..Nashik Life
hmm
lovely pics..
btw some early monsoon facts..
BMC expected 100mm of Rainfall in the pre monsoon mode ….
the gods were a bit too kindly to give us with just over 300 mm ..but u just got the better part of the 300 mm ..
Hi ,
I was reading ur blog posts and found some of them to be wow.. u write well.. Why don’t you popularize it more.. ur posts on ur blog took my particular attention as some of them are interesting topics of mine too;
BTW I help out some ex-IIMA guys who with another batch mate run http://www.rambhai.com where you can post links to your most loved blog-posts. Rambhai was the chaiwala at IIMA and it is a site where users can themselves share links to blog posts etc and other can find and vote on them. The best make it to the homepage!
This way you can reach out to rambhai readers some of whom could become your ardent fans.. who knows.. 🙂
Cheers,
I can assure you that welcoming the rain along with someone special is so much better than going it alone – but to each his own. 🙂
I love the snaps.
And the colour grey always fascinates me, reminds me of windy skies and the feel of water dripping on to my face.
A walk in the rain usually energises me, its almost like all my worries and tiredness gets washed away
chennairamblingss last blog post..Jerusalem
sv road che in one of the snaps? ah i miss the rains.
Cynic in Wonderlands last blog post..Shadow Life
In my mind, sometimes, thoughts like flooding, deluge just overshadow everything that you mentioned in your post.
Ashwins last blog post..Need for speed
Hmmmm… not like i can really see or feel this rain…
but your words are much like an element of nature.
Crimson shimmers last blog post..
I love the rains too. the thing about beauty, its pretty much the same here in Bangalore too 🙂
oh its the aftermath that gets me – murky sidewalks, clogged roads, and dirty footwear, not to mention the cold and the associated sneezes 🙁
JustSos last blog post..realisation