It is a universally acknowledged truth that there are two kinds of people in this world – those who love rain and those who don’t. But the bottom line is, I love monsoons and getting wet when it is pouring. Some may feel sad, locked up, or constrained. Some sunshine souls do not (without a reason) decry the rains. Some like to snuggle up in a blanket and watch it from the comfort of their home, with not even a drop on them. 

Love vs hate

The thought of rain makes few people delirious. A few infants, children, and older kids find their parents saying: ‘Yes’ to things normally they don’t. Kids like to dance, drench in the rainy songs, enjoy the coffee and fried fritters, ‘no umbrellas’ needed. Few adults develop the crazy cravings for ice cream in the rain and like children to get drenched. For few centrists, evidently, rains are the calmer means to relish weather excitedly or happily.

Character in life

Rains are recurring, living, and breathing entities evoking a range of emotions. The Hindu mythology depicts it as the hyperbolic tribute to the carriers of the rains. Meghadootam, a poem where a lovelorn couple enlists the wayward cloud to convey their feelings. But the modern British world depicts it as a truly romantic adventure answering as to why the monsoons are an integral part of little collective consciousness. For a theatre artist, like myself, monsoon rains are akin to the sense of realisation of one big wait that is finally over.

As food

There are a lot of references to this wonder season. Its value must be realised. Many legendary epic fables are written for the miraculous rains – becoming the deciding auspicious events for conjugal alliances or a dedication to the hard-working farmers for their crop production. It gives nature such a pleasant sight to enhance its beauty. The love for the rains trends the sweeping world to the ancient times of relishing the purifying effects to the environment with clean infusions of air to breathe.

An adventure

Rains seem a nostalgic adventure for some homemakers and the long-time buddies recall how the continuous pouring did not stop them from having fun. A memory of enjoying at the beach, boating in the rains, dream come true moments, recollects all the lost love and madness, first love, wisdom, freedom, and sometimes benediction. Rain is life itself and all our emotions towards it are being grateful for it to pour happiness.

Iconic scenes

Rains are associated with heart-wrenching metaphors and as a symbolic effect in many movie scenes, such as jumping in the puddles with poise, umbrellas unfurling, or a hero suddenly emerging from the sewers lifting his face up to the heavens and then rains of blessing cleansing all the dirt or sins. 

So, to me, rains completely imply the four words – mizzle, petrichor, cumulonimbus, and pluviophile – as a few millennial fancy words bandied on the internet with great fanfare. 

Rain is love and love is food for the rain lovers.

Jashan Jot Kaur is a researcher at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.