Wash my pain away

Bangalore saw its first proper rain shower today. A brief spell lasting just over 2 hours or so. I was lucky enough to catch the live performance for a few minutes after dinner. No surprise, everyone in office were thrilled with rain. Hands down it was the theme of the day!

So what is it about rain that most people fall so in love with?

I get the physics and obviousness of it. Rain cools the earth down, brings down the ambient temperature, raises the water table, good for crops, helps to fill up the reservoirs which in turn helps generate electricity, yeah yeah, blah blah...whatever!! This isnt the National Geographic so ill drift away from the tangible and get back to my favorite realm, the intangible.

My experiences with rain have been varied. On the road, I have had more than my share of scary moments and also one or two crashes in the rain back when I used to ride my bike. I recall, back then I had the uncanny knack of getting caught in the rain whenever I used to drop my girl home. Man, I used to curse the rain back then. I used to hate the fact that I did not have enough petrol money to drop her in my van and if that was not enough, not only did I have to see her go, as an insult to injury, I would have to ride back home wet to the bone with only the cold breeze and my wet jacket as company. Nothing pleasant. Nothing beautiful.

Today the rain stopped far too quickly and I was in office anyways. Still it brought back some memories. Made me smile. Isn't that what matters, a smile from within? I am at peace with the rain now. I have no animosity towards it. It has its role to play and it will play it no matter if I like it or not. But Ill tell you one thing. What I do enjoy when it rains, is how it seems to wash the city clean. It removes the layers of dust and grime. In just a few minutes it cleanses everything. For a few moments after the rain stops when I look around, I like to believe the city has become just a little cleaner, just a little more innocent, a place where I can live for just a little longer.

And then, I smile...