Rainy Rapture

Walking through the rain, what an exulting experience that was! Pouring, unceasing rain that came down in torrents, breaking the tranquil calm of the atmosphere two minutes before…it seemed magical! The transformation that happened within seconds, in front of my fascinated eyes, was unbelievable. When I had got into my car, to do the customary round of the local market, the air was still and the sky overcast but there was no hint of rain. So much so that it seemed eminently wise to dash across and finish the mandatory, Saturday recci before the kiddo, home for the week end, woke up and one’s precious time (whose precious-ness quotient can only be gauged by a parent whose children live in different cities) was wasted.

So, equipped with a to-do list, as is my wont while on such errands, I set out; if not exactly whistling a tune or doing a jig, pretty much near it, as it was an unbelievably pleasant morning. Just right for an outing, I told myself, clutching the purse in one hand and the umbrella in the other; the latter more a matter of habit than any real apprehension of rains. But a short ride of 15 minutes later, when humming the tune playing on 92.7 was all that was on the mind (mundane grocery and fruit-veggie shopping never transporting most of my ilk to any kind of rapture that shopping for clothes, shoes, accessories and what-have-you invariable does) I found myself at the nondescript entry point of the humble market. Even as I prepared to step out gingerly, so as to avoid any crevice in the ground, I noticed the sudden change in the immediate surroundings and became aware of nature’s watery onslaught. Rain, thick and fast, the kind that one doesn’t normally witness in or around Delhi, was all around me. lt was raining the proverbial cats and dogs and the landscape (read Noida roads) were suddenly, cataclysmically inundated!! Frailer hearts would have quailed at the sight, the meek would have deserted the earth, but not yours truly. Ever the adventurous sort, not given to easily throwing in the towel, I ventured out of the car, unfurling my dainty umbrella to brave the odds.

The torrential force hit me like a physical blow and I fell back for a moment. But the very next, looking the spate full in the eye as it were, I equipped myself to face the situation, and holding my bag while balancing my feet precariously on the fast-disappearing ground under my feet, I tip-toed my way into the market.

Oh how wonderful that felt! Walking in the face of cascading rain, the water doing a neat tangential spray on me as the surface of the umbrella deflected the misty spray my way, making me want to break into a tango. Not since I was a naughty kid, or perhaps, an audacious adolescent, or okay let me concede a sedate middle-aged person…well that’s immaterial. Not in a long time, did I remember a moment so magical, so refreshing, quite so fun-filling and so absolutely exhilarating!! Adding to the zing was the sense of achievement-for, as far as the eye could see, I was the only shopper, with nary a competitor. In fact, even the shopkeepers had withdrawn to the safety of temporary refuge, abandoning all idea of profit and commerce and I could see tell-tale signs of hastily-beaten retreat, as many a stall could be seen covered with tarpaulin or water-proof material of all kinds.

I waded in resolutely, encountering bemused looks from all sides-some may even have doubted my sanity!-but I had not a care in the world. It was too rapturous a moment; the sheer exuberance was too precious to be wasted on such trivial matters. My feet couldn't see where they were going, the place was ankle-deep already in muddy water, a misty film had formed on my glasses so vision was impaired, the bottoms of my trousers were drenched the footwear soaked and past rescue but the predominating feeling was one of ultimate bliss!!

Ah, the simple joy, the inexpressible pleasure of walking in the rain!!