Nature's Symphony

It is the loud clatter makes me romantic, nostalgic, thrilled and ecstatic. How amazing! Clatter? To say that its clatter would be blasphemic. It's symphony - nature's loud symphony to all of us mere mortals saying " here I'm.. Show me something more beautiful than when I am taking a shower". I always thank God for giving me eyes so that I could experience this soul-stirring symphony of nature.

Every time I went home from Chennai, I hoped it would rain. My Kerala is so beautiful when it rains, the coconut tree leaves look dazzling green and the backwaters are a glorious sight with a million ripples created by the tiny raindrops. The sky would be ashen and there would be no trace of the sun.

It was so much fun going to school in the rain. The clatter of rain on my umbrella was in perfect resonance with the sound of water hitting the ground. And then there was the ad-lib of flowing water on either side of the road. I would pause for a moment to look at that tiny stream and create a giant ripple by throwing a stone into that tiny furious-flowing stream. All the paper-boats would form a mini-fleet around my stone.

I wanted to break free and throw my umbrella onto the wind and see it being carried away along the deserted village road and get myself drenched, so that I could also drown myself in the harmony. I am totally incapacitated , searching desperately for words when i try to describe what I visualise about the rain..It goes on and on..building up slowly and then becoming a steady downpour..

And when it is over, its saddening. The silence returns-painfully reminding me that its all over. Then I turn back and look at the last drops of water dripping off the hibiscus leaves. The air is so fresh, so cool and how can i forget the smell of soil.. aaah... The Sun breaks free from the prison of clouds that had it concealed. AS if it wanted to say "No more music now.. Silence!"

And on how many such rainy days has he come with an umbrella, after his lunch for our next session of study - which would be at the balcony. It was on another rainy day that I went (with them of course) on a train journey across my state to see her. Kannur, Bekkal Fort and the best bus journey of my life - from Kannur to Kasaragode when it was pouring down. Rain symbolizes Nature's poise and grace as a poetic symphony - simple and beautiful, yet arcane and full of a myriad meanings and interpretations.

Here's the sky - once again tinged with that lovely ashen and this time I want to make up for all that I could not do when I was a kid - I want to be out in the rain, running on the road with my umbrella and then throwing it wildly onto the road and watching the wind carrying it down the road as far as it can ...The coconut trees have started swaying wildly in the wind and the spooky feel is all round. It has gone dark.. I know its coming... and my heart is racing...