Summers in Kolkata are hot and humid. In those dry months of April and May, one frantically looks forward to some thunder squall for partial or temporary relief. Mother Nature does not always oblige! She takes a severe test of patience and endurance as the citizens gasp and pant in the raging summer. The plight is further exacerbated by prolonged power cuts and inadequate water supply.
It was on a similar sultry evening in May this year that I decided to take a stroll on my terrace. Contemplating the ever elusive rainfall, I looked up at the sky. There was no sign of rain-bearing clouds. The weather forecast too had indicated dry days. In these days of technological progress, we are oblivious of nature except in odd circumstances as these.
As I looked at the concrete jungle all around, a feeling of guilt and remorse engulfed me. We raise a hue and cry about climate change and global warming only when we feel our personal needs are threatened. Else, we pay no heed to our contribution towards pollution and other forms of environmental hazards.
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As these thoughts flashed across my mind, I sensed a coolness in the breeze. The wind gradually gained momentum and was initially dusty. It is a strange sight when all of a sudden the northwestern announces its arrival. It takes everyone by surprise. From the terrace, I watched the bustle of activity on the streets below. The air had by now become even cooler—an inevitable prelude to the impending rainfall for which the entire city was waiting eagerly and impatiently.
Darkness gradually engulfed the city and stray flashes of thunder roared across the sky; still there was no sign of rain. Then big isolated drops started to fall around me. The first drop on my body created a strange sensation. It seemed to get sucked into my skin, as if announcing the thirst of the parched soul.
The initial drops evoke a strange sensation, more so, as they come after a long await and bring much-needed relief. As a large raindrop fell on my palm, I looked at it closely. It was a symbol of hope and optimism, and even though more drops starting falling from the sky, the sensation of the first drop remained eternised in my memory. There can be no better form of rejuvenation as compared to one that comes from nature.