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rain
September 2009 
Monsoon Madness
Posted on Jul 3rd, 2007
by 
Praveer
Praveer
The monsoons are here - which means it really rains. Any time. Any place. And especially when the weather man says it won't.
"Think its going to rain?"
It's every man for himself.
Just love that 'back to nature' stuff
At least the kids do! Phew, what a relif after that hot spell!
"Remind me to tell you the kuan about Monk who couldn't swim, willya?"
But, my Rolex kept on ticking!
Naah, just kidding, I wear a Seiko, rated to 400 ft underwater (or maybe that's 40 ft - I dunno, didn't test it), see through back, self-winding. But you should have seen the rest of me!
"Think its going to rain?"
monsoon pigeons
It's every man for himself.
monsoon umbrella man delhi
Just love that 'back to nature' stuff
monsoon knee deep
At least the kids do! Phew, what a relif after that hot spell!
monsoon children
"Remind me to tell you the kuan about Monk who couldn't swim, willya?"
mouse-frog big
(National Geographic, Delhi Monsoon, 2006)
And so, I got thoroughly drenched today, and thought I'd let you see a little of what my home town, New Delhi, looks like when it pours! Everything got wet. But, my Rolex kept on ticking!
Naah, just kidding, I wear a Seiko, rated to 400 ft underwater (or maybe that's 40 ft - I dunno, didn't test it), see through back, self-winding. But you should have seen the rest of me!
Access: PublicTagged with: The Republic of New Delhi, rain
Thanks for sharing these images Praveer! You ought to sell umbrellas? Or hip boots? I love the mouse on the frogs back…how sweet!!!
And I thought it rained here too much!!!
Thinking dry thoughts and sending them your way! How long does this season last?
Love,
Aley
From the end of June through August, in New Delhi, Aley, it's a steady downpour usually. I hate driving my car in this traffic, so I usually scoot about on my Honda scooter - guaranteed to totally wet - but happy! And it gets unbelievably muggy!
We don't have it too bad, though - you should see what Mumbai looks like - hip deep in water, mostly.
That frog-and-mouse team is just so touching. Actually, that's what triggered off the post.
Umbrellas and gumboots?,The competiton from low-priced Chinese products, though, is killing! And Wl-Mart is almost here. No profit margins left in the game. I was thinking along the lines selling bottles of Heaven Scent Water at a dollar a pop? Want in - you' n Keith are welcome, if you're crazy enough!
Oh! We are crazy, not sure if we are crazy enough…:0)
Why not pack up your stuff and your wife and come stay here for a few months duing that season…we have a comfy air matress on the floor and Chloe only snores once in awhile…
:)
Hello Mr. P …
Are you sure those photos weren't taken in Austin, Texas? Here in Tennessee, we are in a draught. They even cancelled the 4th of July “faar” works this year. Maybe God can spread it out a little more evenly. He needs to work on that for sure.
ahhh….the monsoons! Your pictures reminded me of my last visit to India and memories of water-logged roadways and drenched saris…
Thanks for the beautiful images…and check out DragonTiger's blog post After The Rain…
Take care!
N
Loved the share! ADORED the last pic with the mouse and the frog!!!! That was precious.
:)
Blessings my friend,
Di
First, I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of Gloriuos July, with or without the 'faarworks, as Bro Bewick puts it - and yes, all the water you want, Bro B, gallons of Heaven Scent Monsoon Water, bottled in original raindrops, as they fall straight from the skies in the Republic of New Delhi - as soon as I can figure out how to get it to you!
Aley, you never know, we might just drop in - I love air beds RVs too!
Nishtha, yes, there's something incredible about the monsoons - the power and the glory of the huge winds as sweep from the equator and riccochet right off the Himalayas, back into the plains of India, touching each persons life and bringing life to the countryside, crops and fruit trees - and leave behind memories of damp shirts, trousers, saris, mangos, fried street food, hot tea and more! The monsoons are one of the many things about India that I treasure.
And Di - how nice to see you! Come for a quick dip, all of you!
Very cool, Praveer.
Time for some dhosas and tea, my friend.
John
Thanks for the rain! I treasure the image of you riding around on your scooter, getting drenched and giving in to the inevitable.
I’ll try to send you a blast of dry, Arizona air to counter the infinite sogginess….
It’s 43*C here and rising - so dry and hot, the rain evaporates before reaching the ground (a phenomenon called “virga”). Our desert-version of the monsoon is about to kick in, though - which promises a big, drama-rich storm once a day, usually around sunset.
Rain arriving in the desert has the most amazing perfume - the scent of waking up from a deep dream and quenching an ancient thirst.
I'm happiest in the rain and glad that you enjoy my experience!
Bro J, in fact, sitting at a roadside tea stall and snacking on street food like dhosas and pakoras while the rain bounces off a makeshift roof, watching people make their way doggedly to wherever they're headed in the chaos, is something I look forward to. Normally I lead an orderly life, at home or in the office which is filled with things that happen on schedule, hi-tech machines, and global clients - sanitised from the stuff that will 'take away from productitvity' :-). Both worlds are real, both incredibly satisfying. Neither can exist without the other. The sheer energy and unreasonableness of people here to 'make it happen' - 'thru rain, hail, or storm' is propelling this country, region by region, into a really exciting place! I just hope that my ramshackle, aroma filled little masala tea stalls survive the shift to the new level to which we're all headed for…
Laurie, you're absolutely right about the indescribably heady aroma that rises from parched land, which has been baked for 3 months at around 45*-48*. Delhi is on the fringe of the Thar Desert and for a few months before it rains it is searingly dry. Those old time Mughals, about 800 years ago - aside from being conquerers and empire builders - they were gourmets, litterateurs, poets, philosophers, archeticts and artists - and amazing perfumers, too.
They captured the scent of the first rain on dry earth and bottled it for royalty. They even wrote poetry with ink that was scented with what they called Mitti.Today, the perfume is still available, especially from families that are descended from those Master perfumers. It is enormously expensive and rare - and soooo gooood!
Those lovely pakoris that Ma would make each time it rained! And yes, the lovely smell of mitti. Thanks for bringing back these memories, Praveer. No wonder we loved the rain…and the rainy day wasn't a synonym for gloom…though wading through flooded roads would make me rethink. Even in Delhi?!
And when it rained in desert-land Bikaner….all we'd do was run in the rain, loving the feeling.
Don't you wish that the Mughals had worked out how to capture the aroma of mom-made pakoris too!
You're from Bikaner? Unforgettable desertscape. I've been in the desert when it rains - grass literally sprouts underfoot in a matter of hours and transforms the whole area into into a green lawn!
Umm…sounds trite but I'm sort-of from many places in India; lived in Bikaner for a couple of years in toddler years. Still remember the camel caravans passing by - all we'd see were the tops of the camels' heads over the wall, as they nibbled at the leaves of trees in our garden.
Ma once wished they could bottle the scent of sweet peas….and now they have. So, perhaps a wish for pakori-fragrance would work too!
Not many who have camels nibbling their way through gardens. Thank you for that wonderfully picturesque memory.
“They captured the scent of the first rain on dry earth and bottled it for royalty. They even wrote poetry with ink that was scented with what they called Mitti.”
Delicious.