MONSOON SCENE AT KUMARHATTI-1

                         

The soil is breathing again. For a couple of days now, we’ve had a substantial downpour, thanks to the rain God for blessing the parched earth with a generous spell. It is surprising but true that actually Kumarhatti (though a hill station) was in the grip of near drought conditions and farmers were an unhappy lot. This rain has given life to trees, bushes and all kinds of vegetation. What magic! Already newly born tiny leaves are winking at us from the sides of hillocks and mounds here and there. The perennials which looked almost dead are showing signs of aliveness with some green specks taking birth on their body parts. All vegetation which was smarting under the burnout seems to be reviving itself with nectar from heaven. The worst is over and good days are here again.

 In the morning when I was sitting in my balcony reading news paper, light clouds were floating near me and engulfed me in their moist fold but soon drifted away by a gust of wind.

 The other day when I was enjoying the morning scene standing in my balcony after sunrise, the horizon presented a  dreamlike experience as if it was the setting of our first parents’ ‘Paradise’ in heaven which they ultimately lost by disobeying God’s diktat. It looked like a gigantic oval bed with unevenly contoured pneumatic structure offering mysteriously luscious jumps.

 Yesterday evening when I went for a walk, it was cloudy and pleasantly breezy. I stood motionless at a bend of the road from where I’d a vantage view of the horizon. I kept looking at the fascinating surreal mural self made by the clouds with a crystal shine reflected by the setting sun. There was a medley of grey in many shades complimented with milk white and coal black clouds giving the illusion of nearness though unreachable.  In no time the amalgamation of clouds overhead turned threateningly dark indicating another spell of rain. We quickened our steps back and made it safely home.

 Monsoon clouds here are capricious in nature. You can’t predict when it’ll rain even though the dark clouds may be menacingly strolling in the sky. Sometimes the wind just chases them away. At other times they’ll empty their big bellies without any warning whatsoever. They keep you on your toes if you spread your washing for drying.

My friend cuckoo has not regained her cheer yet as I haven’t heard her singing for many days now. Though many other birds make their presence felt off and on. The crow is a fixture here as I hear its cawing regularly.

Whenever you look at the sky these days the permutation and combination of cloud formations keep you enchanted. Here is a scene which no artist can ever replicate.

 Now the rains have become an every day occurrence and with the fall in temperature, chilly weather is waiting to happen.