In Bengaluru, the city where I live, we are in the midst of the monsoons! It isn’t just raining these days, it’s pouring. It is that time of the year when the dark looming clouds weaves its spell on us as we set out on a busy morning. On most days, we leave home armed with our brollies and raincoats, all prepared for that tumultuous rain and yet, we’ve all been caught in a torrential downpour. The hour when the sun sets beyond the horizon is never the same on any two days, and never is this more obvious, than on rainy June evenings.
Well, every season has its own magic….the best thing for me in this rainy season is to enjoy the varying moods of the skies and be ready for the ‘here-comes-rain and here-comes-sunshine kind of weather. The key to making the most of this season is to savour it all – the colours, the moods, the scents, the subtle, mysterious light, the poetry, the heightened expectations, the kind of beauty that made your heart miss a beat, the music you choose to go with it and things that remind you of the warm memories of the days gone by! Or, you may choose to do nothing of this sort at all, if you happen to be the pragmatic, practical type who might not find that this season has anything to do with your emotions or your heart. Whatever be your type, enjoy doing what you love best. The dark skies are here to stay for now and I better get going with writing my post, watching the rains and enjoying a hot cuppa!
Since the new school term has started, my twelve-year-old has been juggling with his school work, tests and co-curricular activities. There’s always too much to do and too little time. The jump from fifth grade to the sixth has been a quantum leap as the number of subjects have doubled overnight. These days, evenings are the only time we get to spend time together, as I catch up on the days happenings and get to know the highs and the lows of the day.
Last Tuesday, was one such evening. As I was helping Arjyo with a project, I chanced upon, rather fleetingly, upon a beautiful purple-blue sky and a gorgeous streak of light that splashed across a very overcast horizon. In a split second, I knew I had to capture that. I ran for my camera, but realised, that it had run out of charge. All I could do was to grab my iPhone and take a quick shot before the colours ran out. We both agreed that work could wait and rushed out to the balcony to catch this absolutely gorgeous sunset! Luckily, he is as much a nature lover! While he looked on, I got a few more shots on my phone. Soon, it grew dark and nothing was visible anymore.
It was wonderfully soothing to witness the magic of another day setting in. There are times in our lives when we do not need words to savour the moment. This was one of those.
Often, when I see children, head dug deep into their cell phones, busy playing games, I shudder to imagine Arjyo as one of them. I have been consciously working hard over the last couple of years, to keep him away from gadgets, hoping that he can stay away from those temptations for as long as possible. I hope he continues to enjoy reading, doodling and writing stories and letting his imagination run riot on his drawing books and enjoying his board games. On such rainy evenings, I always wish he has the horizon to look ahead of him in a literal and a metaphorical way! I’m so grateful that he still believes that few things give him as much joy as nature does. That is perhaps why we enjoy spending time together exploring the outdoors whenever we travel and tuck into our favourite books on rainy afternoons when we’re stuck indoors. The little blessings of life, I guess. It takes very little to make us happy, doesn’t it? It’s an inside job I believe.
So, how has it been for you this week? I guess, with a busy week going by, it’s time to unwind. If you’re enjoying the monsoon weather, well, then, enjoy the rains, listen to your favourite music, watch a film, enjoy the moment with a loved one, cuddle up with a book or simply do what you love doing best. Have a fun and relaxing weekend. Leaving you with a favourite quote from Thoreau, this week:
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.
Before you leave, please do not forget to leave your comments. Do you love the rains or does it bother you – the mess, the muck and the creepy crawlies all around us? What’s your favourite pastime when you’re holed up at home on a rainy day?
20 Comments
altaf
Hi, Very Nice Article.
Thanks For Sharing, Keep Up The Good Work.
Tina Basu
I am loving the current weather of Bangalore. just the perfect weather for sleeping in, but yeah, that’s a dream actually. How I would love to watch the changing hues of the sky and the beautiful rains from my balcony with my little man. But I guess I have to wait quite a while for that!
Esha Mookerjee Dutta
It is, Tina but not possible to sleep it with so much going on, is it? And, for you, even more so with your little man! But, you’ll be glad to know that mom-son bonding can get so much better as the years go…you become very close and start to enjoy the little moments like these in a very special way…it’s all there, waiting for you…:)
Corinne Rodrigues
Beautiful description and it’s so wonderful that you are passing on a love for nature to your little chap. We all need reminders of how beautiful life is outside our little app-crazy world, Esha. Thanks for this one.
Esha Mookerjee Dutta
Thank you so much, Corinne! Yes, we bond with nature since Arjyo was a toddler and often got lost in rapt admiration for all things nature whenever we went to the park to play! You’re right, these little moments are perfect for anyone to get away from the gadgets and gizmos. Frankly, I’d be happy even with a happy balance since we can’t eliminate these from our lives altogether 🙂
vishalbheeroo
Enjoyed reading this soothing post, Monsoon magic, mom-son bonding and soothing life. I miss my Mumbai and Pune monsoon where I could imagine stories to weave:)
Esha Mookerjee Dutta
Thanks Vishal! Glad you stopped by here 🙂 Would love to read your stories too, monsoon or not…keep them coming!
vishalbheeroo
Thanks lot, Esha. Will retrieve a couple of them that I wrote. One of my last written on bout Pune Monsoon has a streak:)
Esha Mookerjee Dutta
Please do, Vishal! I’d love to see your take on the Pune monsoons 🙂
Peter B
Beautiful sky shots! My iPhone camera has rescued me many times, and I’m generally pleased with the results.
Esha Mookerjee-Dutta
Thanks so much, Peter! I too feel that the results are definitely good if not as great as a DSLR!
Hema Gera
First of all I’ve the same feeling .. I Love rainy season ..a season to watch the beauty all around. It’s a feel to be connected to nature from core of my heart.
Secondly …You have described it so well .. Giving a real feel of the magic .
Thirdly…. The picture taken from your balcony is just fantastic… Showing the depth of sky with different shades of light 👌👌
And last but very important… You are so right… working hard to keep Arjyo away from gadgets … I’m failed in this..n I feel it’s truly my mistake. I’ll try to focus on all these points n I hope I will definitely come out from this world of gadgets soon… Nowadays even I don’t feel like going through Whatsapp anymore.May be because Esha’s formula is working in back of mind😊
Thanks dear for sharing your feelings of love towards nature .
Esha Mookerjee-Dutta
I’m so glad to have your outpouring of thoughts, my dear friend! 🙂 Yes, it is hard work and keeping one’s eye on nature in the midst of so many temptations isn’t easy but having said that, not too difficult if you are focused on the task. I feel very strongly for the fact that gadgets are taking away our face-to-face connections and our one on one interactions with friends and families…so doing what one can do is very much needed. Thanks for dropping by here, Hema <3
arv!
Beautiful urban sunset capture Esha. This picture also reminds us of the now ubiquitous cell phone towers. So hard to avoid them photographing nature unless you’re on 10th floor or more! I’m sure you would have been happy watching such beautiful sunset! I heard Bangalore’s been blessed with lots of rain in last 2 months!
Esha Mookerjee Dutta
Thanks Arv. You’re absolutely spot on about the cellphone towers…no matter where you go, they seem to exist, to pop up in every frame! We’re lucky this year (touchwood!) to have more rains than the year before, so no one is complaining…at least not yet 🙂
arv!
Ha ha! I know few Bangalore-ans who do! 😉 disrupts their plans…lol!
Alok Singhal
You captured great shots of the beauty of nature. I love rains, not too much though 🙂
Esha Mookerjee Dutta
Thanks Alok. For me monsoons evoke memories and emotions..always brings back times gone by…in a nice kind of way 🙂
Alana Mautone (@RamblinGarden)
I have never lived in a part of the world subject to moonsoons. I loved your entire story, how you made me feel like I was there. I loved the sunset pictures, and I applaud you for teaching your son to appreciate nature rather than electronic devices.
Esha Mookerjee Dutta
Thank you so much Alana! Monsoons are an inseparable part of our lives…the story is part of our day-to-day life. We live in what they call the ‘silicon valley’ of India but in my own ways I’m trying to ensure that city life does not take away that joy of enjoying the sights and sounds of nature that I had in my childhood growing up in the hills of the North-East.