Spice of Life | Monsoon musings, mushy moments of mere mortals - Hindustan Times
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Spice of Life | Monsoon musings, mushy moments of mere mortals

BySuruchi Kalra Choudhary
Jul 04, 2022 07:10 PM IST

The sultry weather dampens my spirit no end. The gastronomic misdemeanours, runny noses, feverish bodies, least said the better. Poets have written paeans on the pitter-patter of the rain but for us entrapped in the mesh of urbanisation, the cacophony only leads to insomnia, writes Suruchi Kalra Choudhary

The parched earth, drooping plants, wilting flowers, listless drowsy animals, deserted streets, snoozing hawkers, all presented a pathetic sight till last week as we bore the brunt of a heat wave. Global warming and its ill-effects seemed to have jumped out of summit deliberations to become a stark reality. With man failing to heed warning signs, Mother Earth was punishing humanity. One and all were praying for soothing showers and the meteorological department finally announced the arrival of monsoon in the beginning of July.

While monsoon delights romantics, it perplexes and antagonises mere mortals like me, writes Suruchi Kalra Choudhary. (SHUTTERSTOCK)
While monsoon delights romantics, it perplexes and antagonises mere mortals like me, writes Suruchi Kalra Choudhary. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Cool showers are a welcome relief, a farmer’s boon and a common man’s delight yet the home-maker, yours truly, dreads the rainy season, its accomplices to be precise. Dust storms hamper my sincere efforts to keep my home spic and span. Load shedding and power breakdowns mean an erratic schedule to replenish water resources. Gusty winds, banging doors and windows, and a frantic effort to salvage articles lying outdoors irritate me. Showers bring respite but I inadvertently lose my cool.

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An evening downpour means mega cleaning in the morning. I keep sending silent prayers lest my house help plays truant. In the evening, insects of all sorts congregate at tubes and bulbs, lizards scuttle around devouring insects, gnats raise a gusty chorus, frogs croak hoarse and my kids’ draconian shrieks as they spot a reptile makes me miss a heartbeat. Muttering the choicest of invectives, I literally run around with a broomstick to shoo away the intruders.

The clouds and sunshine play hide and seek and poor me matches with the rhythmic -- clothes in, clothes out. To add to my woes, a darling child rushes in drenched to the core, leaving slushy muddy imprints on the floor! More washing! Clothes spread all around in different stages of drying, shoes upright askance in stairs, satchel hung upside down, books/notebooks strewn about, whew! Our home exudes a mouldy smell and dampness.

A shower, hot cardamom tea, pakoras, and spicy chutney are all we crave. But poor me ends up slogging in the kitchen in the sweltering heat, rivers of perspiration rolling down, itchy skin and sticky stinking self, ugh too much. The sultry weather dampens my spirit no end. The gastronomic misdemeanours, runny noses, feverish bodies, least said the better. Poets have written paeans on the pitter-patter of the rain but for us entrapped in the mesh of urbanisation, the cacophony on fibre/asbestos sheds leads to insomnia.

A mild shower turns dusty roads into water ways. Count yourself lucky once you reach home safe and sound. A harried traveller would move aside the fallen trees to make way but uprooted trees and debris stare the passer-by for many days. Small potholes are neglected till they grow into giant craters.

The clear blue sky and the lush green plants are a sight to behold. Nature must replenish its resources. Seasons must wheel the perennial cycle. Alas! My heart does not follow the dictum. While monsoon delights romantics, it perplexes and antagonises mere mortals like me.

The writer is an associate professor and head of the department of English, Hindu Girls College, Jagadhri. She can be reached at kalrasuruchi@yahoo.com

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