THE RAINY SEASON
When that I was and a little tiny boy
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.
— Shakespeare
After hot summer the rainy season brings new life to the thirsty earth. New green grass blades start sprouting. It is green all around. The trees bathe and give forth brighter leaves. The whole earth looks fresh and young. The hilly tracks beam with smile and the rivers overflow with laughter. The forests bloom while the ocean throws its waves high up to welcome the flooded rivers. The whole nature is happy, and gay.
The rainy season is a heaven for the little children. They bathe in the temporary canals flowing on the roads or the village paths. Small pools in the lawns and gardens become swimming pools for them. They have no cares, and rush from pool to pool. By the sea shore or the river side they would lie and play on the sands and bathe in the rains. The old men just envy them. They are afraid of being drenched in the rains. But the young and old enjoy the beautiful rainbow in the sky with the same pleasure.
The rains sometimes bring havoc to the people in the sea shore area of Kerala, Andhra or Tamil Nadu. In the Himalayan ranges too it sometimes brings life to a standstill. The tourists are stranded, the trains run late. The buses stop midway. The lightning kills people and animals. In some areas of Bengal, Orissa and North Eastern states the rainy season stretches a little longer. The rivers are swollen and swallow boats and steamers.
With a little of inconvenience the rainy season is the most welcome season. When there are no rains there is drought. The fields are parched. The mother earth yields nothing. People have to migrate with their cattle. Forests dry and we can sometimes witness fires as there was one in China a few years ago. The rainy season provides life and youth to all the seasons and creatures. It is the life and blood of the whole earth.