SUMMER RAINS

I went to the Jawaharlal Nehru International stadium to sit in the shade of a tree and read Geofrey Chaucer’s book Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer is considered to be the father of modern English poetry and the first short story writer in English verse.

I sat under the shade of a huge tree and started reading. After a little while I saw the sky getting darker with heavy rain bearing clouds. Soon the sunlight disappeared and the atmosphere looked eery.

Quickly I got up and went to the sheltered portion of the stadium. There was a tea shop. You know I love to drink tea. I bought a glass of tea and a packet of biscuits. I sat in a comfortable plastic chair and waited expectantly to see what will happen.

At first there was a strong breeze. The trees started swaying wildly as though they were possessed by evil spirits. The crows which were sitting comfortably on the trees got disturbed and started flying here and there with loud distressed noise. Then flashes of lightening lit up the sky. Soon there was ear shattering thunder rolling across the sky,

At fist few rain drops fell hesitantly on the ground and in no time there was a heavy down pour. It was raining cats and dogs.


You know ladies in Kerala are very clever. They carry a folding umbrella at all times in their hand bag to protect themselves from sun and rain and perhaps also from unruly men. So the ladies had no problem at all with the heavy down pour. They were walking happily as though nothing was happening.


But the men folk were caught unawares and they were getting drenched.


Well, I sat there happily enjoying the cooled down temperature sipping my hot glass of tea and munching my biscuits. I was wondering whether it was just summer rains or climate change because the normal monsoon in Kerala starts only by the end of May.