Summer Rain

Cyclones in the east bring to Bangalore an unusual spell of heavy rain.  The first shower is always welcome, sounding a thundery beat, releasing wisps of heat from the ground and bringing a burst of coolness.  However, it is the subsequent showers that create the intense shades of colour (splashes of red, pink, green and cream), the early misty mornings and the tiny rivulets that reflect the sky and trees on the surfaces of roads.

I like to take early morning walks after particularly heavy nocturnal downpours - to watch the birds drying themselves, dogs snoozling in dry spots, to inhale delicious smells of wet earth, trees and grass and to feel the ultra-cool morning breeze.  To listen to the incredibly loud and compelling bird calls, gather the fallen flowers (and in this season - baby mangoes, giant elephant apples and tender tamarind as well) and feel the occasional water droplet run off a branch and plop down on my head.  These pictures, taken midst the breeze, varying light and slow but definite movements all round, adopt a haziness of their own:

 I have a set of old favourite friends that I like to visit - gnarled and wise looking trees - tamarind, banyan, gulmohar, aakash mallige (sky jasmine) and the incredibly elegant jacaranda.  Then I walk down a path lined by fragrant eucalyptus and rustling bamboo.  And finally - back home, to deal with the clogged drains, disrupted phone lines and power failure.  Nothing like a good spell of summer rain!