Lauren

I love Indian Rain!

Coming from England, I know a lot about rain. It rains so much in the U.K., and it’s usually a miserable, bitter and cold type of rain which strings your face. Dreary, I think that is a good way to describe English rain.

Indian rain on the other hand, there are not many things on Earth which are more delicious to the senses than Indian rain! It’s spectacular and dramatic, fierce and romantic, refreshing and warm. During a storm, I love to open all the windows, watch the lightning shatter the sky and feel the thunder shake my body.

Summer is coming to Nagpur and the nights are getting stuffy and the sun is getting heavier. I waited until five o’clock to take Alfonso for his afternoon walk  today, avoiding the height of the heat. As I stepped out of the building, I saw the clouds had turned grey and could hear thunder in the distance. “I hope it rains”, I said to Alfonso. Several breaths later, the grey clouds broke and large round drops fell on to the dusty road.

If I were in England, I would turn back and go home, but this is India. Rain is exciting! Thunder rumbled forward, a lightning flash filled the sky, the playful screams of children running for cover, the rain falling steadily. The deep smell of the dry Earth cooling, the warm rain touching my face, the air full of electricity. I love Indian rain, I chose the perfect moment to leave the apartment, I love today.

Alfonso wasn’t such a fan of Indian rain, he didn’t find it romantic at all. He pulled me back towards our building, so we went home…

I’m dreading the blistering summer Nagpur is famous for and starting to brew, I’m already dreaming of that first monsoon rain which marks the end of those harsh summer months (the only down side to Indian rain is, it brings those pesky mosquitoes!). I thought that little storm, which only lasted a couple of minutes, was beautiful. Alfonso, not impressed.

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36 comments

  1. Indian rain must be wonderful!! It figures into so many Bollywood movies. There is always a rain scene. I hate the heat, too, and it is not quite as bad in New York City as it is in Nagpur but all the cement and asphalt further heats the air. Wishing you all the best. Love, Ellen xx

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  2. The warm drops on the arms, intense aroma arising from earth when the drops fall on ground, and the cascade of water gushing down from sky. It is unique in its own way. I am glad that you like rains here and best of luck for the blazing central india summer

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  5. Yes even in traditional folklore the rainy season was much loved. What is perhaps spring or summer to the English is monsoon to Indians .Being historically a rural nation of farmers, they naturally loved the rains after a harsh summer. If you see the lyrics of the traditional Indian songs or even film music , they are full of loving references to ‘sawan’ (for Shravan in Hindu calendar around July/August) or ‘baarish’ (Urdu for rains)
    It is no coincidence that a large number of Hindu festivals are during the ‘rainy season’ from July -October as historically that is when the farmers had a good time with their crops 🙂

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    • Hey VK,

      Oh yeah, I never noticed the relationship before! It’s very sad when it rains during odd times, I remember last year the rains came out of season and the crops were all ruined. Heart breaking. After summer, they cannot come fast enough though!

      I hope you are well!

      Take care,

      Lauren

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  8. you are doing one the most romantic thing in your life….watching Indian Rain…..I has lot of memory of rain..i wrote many post about rain…I love rain from the core of my heart….

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  9. Hmmm…. Its raining in Delhi right now but its cold here…. Monsoon season rains are my favorite….

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  10. @Lauren

    There is indeed something maddening about India rain. I understand that many foreigners love the warm weather of India and especially the monsoons as most Europe and North America has harsh winters. I read a foreigner blogger mention about the thunder. Is rain not accompanied by thunder in other countries?? One famous poet described love in the following words “Love is like the first shower of monsoon after the scorching summer”. This is the first and most famous bollywood monsoon song featuring the legendary pair of Raj Kapoor and Nargis

    This is my favourite monsoon song

    But rains also cause a lot of havoc leading to floods. Many cities, towns and villages in India face deluge during monsoons. In 2005 the Mithi river in Mumbai overflowed due to rains and their were devastating floods. People had to walk for miles to reach their destinations because the whole city was flooded. Mumbai’s rains are famous but this was unprecedented even by their standards. So, rains are not always fun.

    https://www.google.co.in/search?q=floods+of+mumbai&biw=988&bih=629&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Eg7zVKHGOsiLuATMuYGoDw&ved=0CCgQsAQ&dpr=1

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    • Hey Friend,

      I hope you are well,

      Yes, I remember last year when there were flood and out of season rains ruining crops, causing farmers to commit suicide- heart breaking!! Nature, can be so cruel in it’s magnificent power!

      In the U.K. its rare to hear thunder, very rare, and if you do hear it, it’s quiet. The thunder here is spectacular!! In Britain it just rains and rains and rains, cold and relentless.

      I hope you are well,

      Take care

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  12. Great to read your blog! It’s interesting to know about one’s culture with a different perspective. Surely it helps how we can improve some things of ours and learn what people like about it.

    If you like Indian rains, especially Mumbai (Bombay) rains, heritage British architecture, London-like red buses of Mumbai and good old Hindi songs from 70s, watch this song – Rim jhim gire saawan’ of the famous Kishore Kumar, starring Amitabh Bachchan.

    Keep writing!

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  13. Yay, I’m not the only one who thinks monsoons are cool! Even though being in the UK made me hate rain (whatsoever), I still love the sensations of the monsoon season. For anyone interested – I made a feeble attempt to capture its mightiness in a video linked on The Travel Blog here: wp.me/s5AZZI-monsoons. I’m afraid it doesn’t do much justice to its purpose though. Oh well!

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    • Hey! I think they are really cool, especially compared to the rain in the UK. It’s really hot here right now, would love it to rain! I will check out your video, thanks for sharing!
      I hope you are well! 😀

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  14. @Lauren

    Happy holi to you and family. May you have a colouful holi and don’t run away from colours like last year.

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  17. Rains hold a special place in our hearts. When it rains it brings the whole nature alive. It leaves so much greenery with the natural scent of Mother Earth. The only downside being that the roads become really horrible to walk through.

    And welcome to the Indian summer Lauren. I hope the summer in Nagpur isn’t as bad as my hometown chennai!

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    • Hey Sriram,
      I hope you are well!

      Nagpur is TOO HOT already (reaches 50oC at its hight here), I really wish it would rain again! We had a really odd weather a week ago- HAIL STONES! It was so weird! I will probably write a post about it next week!

      Take care

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  18. I’m from Vancouver and it rains apprx 9 months out of the year. I just love it – hearing the pitter patter on the window, or smelling the air, it is beautiful.
    I had experienced monsoon rain in Hyderabad and it was so sudden and stormy – quite romantic actually. I love the warmth of Indian rain, but I hate the flooding!

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    • It’s beautiful isn’t it!!
      Luckily we don’t get flooding here so bad (from what I have seen) but its so devastating on the news 😦

      I hope you guys are all well!

      Take care! xx

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